حThe size of the dental implant market reached 10.57 billion US dollars in 2020, and it is expected to reach 17.44 billion dollars by 2028, as the (CISION) platform stated in its report. In America alone, there are more than 3 million people who have dental implants that are used to replace They replace those lost due to decay, gum disease, or injury, but the lifespan of these implants is often less than expected, and instead need to be replaced within 5-10 years, necessitating repeated re-implantation operations that are financially costly for patients (1).
This matter prompted scientists to search for a new technology to create smart artificial teeth capable of lasting for a long time and perhaps forever, which was recently achieved by Dr. Geelsu Hwang, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he and his team created smart nano-teeth capable of Resistance to bacteria for a long period of time, as stated in a report published on the university’s platform recently (2).
Dr. Geelsu Hwang says: We wanted to address this problem radically, as we came up with a new and innovative implant in our laboratories. He confirms that the new implant contains two main technologies. The first includes the use of a material filled with nanoparticles that resist bacterial invasion, and the second is a light source implanted internally to perform the treatment. With light when needed, supported by natural movements of the mouth, such as chewing or brushing teeth, this new technology was published in a research paper for the first time in the peer-reviewed scientific journal (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces) (3), where he and his colleagues developed their basic system, which can be used in the future. Its use is not only in the field of dental implants, but also in joint replacement, which will constitute another revolution in this field.
The material that the researchers used was barium titanate (BTO). To test its potential as a basis for dental implants, the team used for the first time discs combined with nanoparticles of this substance and exposed them to Streptococcus mutans bacteria, which is an essential component of the vital bacteria responsible for tooth decay. They found that the discs resisted The formation of biofilms thus prevented cavity-causing bacteria from attaching to the teeth. In the future, this team hopes to continue improving the smart dental implant system and testing new types of materials that can be used in this field. Dr. Geelsu Hwang comments, saying: We hope to develop A more intelligent implant system, and we hope to see it in the future replace the traditional methods of dental implants currently used.
Sources:
1- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dental-services-market-size-worth-554-5-billion-by-2028-grand-view-research-inc-301377260.html
2- https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/smart-dental-implants
3- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.1c11791
Translated and prepared by M.M. Sultan Karim Sultan
Media and Government Communications Division
