Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Several areas of dentistry are testing the fruits of nanotechnology with specific applications in oral
diagnostics and dental biomaterials. Some of the areas in dentistry with reference to nanoparticulate
drug delivery systems where nanotechnology is being explored include
[5,6]
1.
Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems for local anesthesia
2.
Curing the hypersensitivity in oral treatments
3.
Nanorobotic dentifrices
4.
Dental durability and cosmetics applications in dentistry
Drug delivery and tissue engineering research areas have witnessed tremendous progress in
recent years exploring and using the unlimited potential of these areas of research to improve
human health. Recent development of nanotechnology provides opportunities to characterize,
manipulate and organize matter systematically at the nanometer scale. The analytical techniques
like SEM, TEM, and many developments in characterizing the materials and biomaterials with
nanoscale architecture have been used as controlled release reservoirs for drug delivery and artifi-
cial matrices for tissue engineering. All these new developments have applications in dental
research. Drug delivery systems can be synthesized and the drug release can be controlled with dif-
ferent composition, shape, size, and morphology. Their surface modifications using appropriate pre-
cursors and adjuvants can be manipulated to increase solubility, immune-compatibility, and cellular
uptake. The limitations of current drug delivery systems include suboptimal bioavailability, limited
effective targeting, and potential cytotoxicity. Promising and versatile nanoscale drug delivery sys-
tems include nanoparticles, nanocapsules, nanotubes, nanogels, and dendrimers. They can be used
to deliver both small-molecule drugs and various classes of biomacromolecules, such as peptides,
proteins, plasmid DNA, and synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides. Whereas traditional tissue engineer-
ing scaffolds were based on hydrolytically degradable macroporous materials, current approaches
emphasize the control over cell behaviors and tissue formation by nanoscale topography that
closely mimics the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). The understanding that the natural ECM is
a multifunctional nanocomposite has motivated researchers to develop nanofibrous scaffolds
through electro spinning or self-assembly. Nanocomposites containing nanocrystals have been
shown to elicit active bone growth. Drug delivery and tissue engineering are closely related fields.
In fact, tissue engineering can be viewed as a special case of drug delivery where the goal is to
accomplish controlled delivery of mammalian cells. Controlled release of therapeutic factors in turn
will enhance the efficacy of tissue engineering. From a materials point of view, both the drug deliv-
ery vehicles and tissue engineering scaffolds need to be biocompatible and biodegradable. The bio-
logical functions of encapsulated drugs and cells can be dramatically enhanced by designing
biomaterials with controlled organizations at the nanometer scale.
Nanoscale drug delivery systems with nanoscale materials (10
2
9
to 10
2
7
m) can exhibit distinc-
tive physical, electrical, mechanical, quantum, and optical properties
[1]
. Through rational design,
nanoscale drug delivery systems can be manufactured to combine desirable modules, using both
biological and synthetic polymeric materials, for various therapeutic applications, including
implantable, inhalable, injectable, oral, and topical and transdermal drug delivery. Many properties
of nanoscale drug delivery systems can be tailored for specific applications such as either improv-
ing the solubility or delaying the drug release by adjusting the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity,
attaching moieties to target the drug or its biodistribution, biocompatibility, biodegradability, modi-
fied drug release with appropriate drug encapsulation
[1,2]
