Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER
23
Nanoparticles as Dental
Drug-Delivery Systems
E. Pi
˜
´
n-Segundo
a
, N. Mendoza-Mu
˜
oz
b
and D. Quintanar-Guerrero
b
a
Laboratorio de Sistemas Farmace´uticos de Liberacio´n Modificada (L-13),
Unidad de Investigacio´n Multidisciplinaria, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitla´n,
Universidad Nacional Auto´noma de Me´xico, Estado de Me´xico, Me´xico.
b
Laboratorio de Investigacio´n y Posgrado en Tecnologı´a Farmace´utica, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitla´n,
Universidad Nacional Auto´noma de Me´xico, Estado de Me´xico, Me´xico.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
23.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 475
23.2 Definitions ................................................................................................................................. 479
23.3 Dental applications of nanoparticles ........................................................................................... 482
23.3.1 Polymeric nanoparticles ........................................................................................ 484
23.3.2 Nonpolymeric nanoparticles .................................................................................. 489
23.4 Future trends .............................................................................................................................
491
Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................................................
491
References .........................................................................................................................................
491
23.1
Introduction
Until a few decades ago, it was uncommon to find words with the prefix nano (e.g., nanotechnology,
nanomaterials, nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, and nanotubes). It is highly noticeable how the word
nano has been dynamically incorporated into our scientific language and even into our day-to-day
life. This can be explained by the evident advantages of working at nanoscale level compared with
the traditional micro/macroscale level. The term nanotechnology was used for the first time in 1974
by Norio Taniguchi to describe the intimate engineering (atoms or molecules) of the matter.
However, the basic and inspirational rules of nanotechnology probably come from the historical
lecture There is plenty of room at the bottom given by Richard Feynman in the meeting of the
American Physical Society in 1959. In this conference, Feynman established that there is no physical
restriction that prevents tiny particles assembling, like several processes in nature. He pointed out
that miniaturization is a challenge to be solved in the near future, and that it will be possible by
assembling systems atom by atom. Due to these nearly prophetic predictions, Feynman is considered
