Tag Archives: nano-sized film

Nano dental technique promises a world without root canals

Unfortunately, it’s not here yet but according to a news item on Nanowerk,

Scientists are reporting an advance toward the next big treatment revolution in dentistry — the era in which root canal therapy brings diseased teeth back to life, rather than leaving a “non-vital” or dead tooth in the mouth. In a report in the monthly journal ACS Nano, they describe a first-of-its-kind, nano-sized dental film that shows early promise for achieving this long-sought goal (“Nanostructured Assemblies for Dental Application”).

I gather from further reading into the news item that we’re a long way from clinical trials (drat!),

The scientists are reporting development of a multilayered, nano-sized film — only 1/50,000th the thickness of a human hair containing a substance that could help regenerate dental pulp. Previous studies show that the substance, called alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone, or alpha-MSH, has anti-inflammatory properties. The scientists showed in laboratory tests alpha-MSH combined with a widely-used polymer produced a material that fights inflammation in dental pulp fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are the main type of cell found in dental pulp. Nano-films containing alpha-MSH also increased the number of these cells. This could help revitalize damaged teeth and reduce the need for a root canal procedure, the scientists suggest.

Sometimes I just like to focus on the benefits that nanotechnology offers and this would be a major benefit for a lot of people around the world.