Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
phase of nanorestoration of tooth structure is biomimetics, i.e, mimicking processes that occur in
nature [43,44] .
In the case of biomaterials, nanoparticulate materials appear to strongly influence the host
response at both cellular and tissue levels, which makes nanotechnology particularly attractive for
dental implants [45] . Processes such as sol-gel deposition [46] , pulsed laser deposition [47] , sput-
tering coating techniques [48,49] , ion beam assisted deposition [50], and electrophoretic deposition
[51] are a few examples of nanotechnology-based approaches that have been used to develop bioc-
eramic thin-film coatings for implant surfaces. The main objective of these newer technologies is to
reduce the thickness and the particle size of the coating layer and thereby increase its specific surface
area and reactivity, thus improving the interaction with the surrounding living tissue.
21.8.1.4 Biofilm Formation and Treatment
Nanoscience has also recently promoted emerging concepts in oral microbial ecology, which may
soon redefine our understanding of biofilm formation and treatment. Recent analyses with ribosomal
RNA-based technologies have revealed the diversity of bacterial populations within dental biofilms
and have highlighted their important contributions to oral health and disease [52] . In enamel, the aim
appears to be unraveling the ways to mimic nature's own nanotechnological mechanism by which
the cooperative interaction between the nanoscale self-assemblies of amelogenin and the uniaxially
oriented apatite crystals proceeds [42,53] . Dentin, on the other hand, is linked to far more challeng-
ing scenarios. There appears to be a long and tortuous path to make a step from promising results to
the actual transition of dental tissue engineering methodology from the lab to the clinical setting. The
field of diagnostics of oral diseases is also a subject of rapid evolution. Proteomic analyses by mass
spectrometry with their ability to identify proteins at ultralow concentration levels have a chance of
drastically improving the diagnostic sensitivity and efficiency [54] .
Saliva is now recognized as an excellent diagnostic medium for the detection of malignant tumors
that are either within or are remote from the oral cavity [55] . Containing biomarkers for various dis-
eases, the identification of which is currently under investigation, saliva holds great promises for early
detection of disease and/or monitoring therapeutic outcomes through a noninvasive approach [56] .
Other oral components, such as gingival crevicular fluid, epithelial cells, breath, and dental plaque,
also have diagnostic potential [57] . The future of dentistry will thus undoubtedly witness routine and
mechanistic restorations ceding place to a more holistic clinical practice where each particular case is
analyzed in the context of the organism as a whole.
Finally, in parallel with the strong shift in the field of chemistry away from the traditional refer-
ence to strong, chemical bonding effects to the control of weak physicochemical interactions [58]
(that has given rise to the prosperous practical framework of self-assembly and soft/wet chemistry
[59] ), a similar shift away from the mechanically interfering reparative methods toward soft remin-
eralization techniques can present one of the most promising streams in the modern dental science.
Despite the seemingly slow development of the dental field, we should keep in mind that scientific
fields develop in waves. Computer science has rapidly expanded in the previous two decades or so,
whereas the theoretical physics set the quantum mechanical fundaments for its slow subsequent
development in only a few decades at the turn of the twentieth century. Let us hope that one such
big breaking wave is on the horizon for the world of dental science. In our opinion, to surf on
that promising wave, learning the art and know-how offered by modern nanotechnologies will be a
must.
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