Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
24.2.2 Curing the hypersensitivity in oral treatments
Dental hypersensitivity (DHS) is a major problem. The pain and discomfort from this problem
negatively affect the patient's ability to practice proper oral hygiene. As a result, plaque builds
up and the teeth and periodontal health become compromised [19] . One of the most important
factors is diet. Giving patients a clear understanding of how diet affects DHS and how changing
it can improve DHS is very important. Microscopic studies reported earlier show that when den-
tin is exposed for 5 min to fluids like red and white wine, citrus fruit juices, apple juice, and
yogurt, they remove the smear layer and open up dentinal tubules [20] . The loss of the smear
layer is known to enhance DHS [21] . One good tip is to tell patients not to brush right after
ingesting acidic food or drink. A small sip of water after ingesting acidic food or drink will go a
long way in helping DHS. Another important factor is brushing. Educating patients how to brush
properly and recommending that they change their toothbrush every 3 months will also be helpful
in reducing DHS [22] . Natural hypersensitive teeth have eight times higher surface density of
dentinal tubules and diameter with twice as larger than nonsensitive teeth. Futuristic applications
proposed involve the construction of reconstructive dental nanorobots, using native biological
materials, could selectively and precisely occlude specific tubules within minutes, offering
patients a quick and permanent cure [23] .
24.2.3 Nanorobotic dentifrices
Frietas in his review article [23] described effective prevention which reduced caries in children
and he suggested that a caries vaccine may be available in near future. A sub occlusal-dwelling
nanorobotic dentifrice delivered by mouthwash or toothpaste could patrol all supragingival and
subgingival surfaces at least once a day, metabolizing trapped organic matter into harmless and
odorless vapors and performing continuous calculus debridement. These invisibly small (1
10
μ
m)
dentifrice robots, perhaps numbering 10 3
10 5
nanodevices per oral cavity and crawling at
2
1
m/s, might have the mobility of tooth amebas but would be purely inexpensive mechanical
devices that would safely deactivate themselves if swallowed and would be programmed with strict
occlusal avoidance protocols. Properly configured dentifrice robots could identify and destroy path-
ogenic bacteria residing in the plaque and elsewhere, while allowing the
10
μ
500 species of harmless
oral microflora to flourish in a healthy ecosystem. Dentifrice robots would also provide a continu-
ous barrier to halitosis, since bacterial putrefaction is the central metabolic process involved in oral
malodor. With the tremendous developments in microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectro-
mechanical systems and if these futuristic ideas become a reality and if this kind of daily dental
care becomes available to everyone from an early age, conventional tooth decay, and gum disease
will disappear into the annals of medical history. However the toxicity of such systems needs to be
evaluated first before their clinical use.
Artificial phagocytes called microbivores could patrol the bloodstream, seeking out and
digesting unwanted pathogens including bacteria, viruses, or fungi [24] . Microbivores would
achieve complete clearance of even the most severe septicemic infections in hours or less. The
nanorobots do not increase the risk of sepsis or septic shock because the pathogens are
completely digested into harmless sugars, amino acids, and the like, which are the only effluents
from the nanorobot [24] .
B
Search WWH ::




Custom Search