Smart Materials Show Promise for Treating Oral Diseases and Dental Problems
- Authors
- Xuguang Gao, Yunyang Li, Jianwen Li, Xi Xiang, Jingwen Wu, Sujuan Zeng
- Journal
- Clinical Oral Investigations
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00784-024-05884-z
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Dental Caries
- Body System
- Oral
TL;DR
Scientists found that special smart materials could be a better way to treat mouth diseases like cavities and gum disease—these materials automatically release medicine when they sense changes like light or heat in your mouth, which means the medicine goes exactly where it's needed instead of everywhere.
Key Finding
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Summary
Scientists conducted a comprehensive review of stimuli-responsive materials for treating oral diseases. These smart materials can change their structure and release drugs when triggered by environmental factors like pH changes, light, electric fields, or magnetic fields. The review examined their applications in treating dental caries, periodontitis, and oral cancers. These materials are particularly effective for superficial oral conditions because they can deliver targeted antibacterial and anticancer therapies directly to affected sites. The researchers concluded that while these materials show significant clinical potential for dental applications, further development is needed before they can be used in routine dental practice.
Abstract
Objectives: Oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontitis, and oral cancers, are highly prevalent worldwide. Many oral diseases are typically associated with bacterial infections or the proliferation of malignant cells, and they are usually located superficially. Materials and methods: Articles were retrieved from PubMed/Medline, Web of Science. All studies focusing on stimuli-responsive materials in oral diseases were included and carefully evaluated. Results: Stimulus-responsive materials are innovative materials that selectively undergo structural changes and trigger drug release based on shifts at the molecular level, such as changes in pH, electric field, magnetic field, or light in the surrounding environment. These changes lead to alterations in the properties of the materials at the macro- or microscopic level. Consequently, stimuli-responsive materials are particularly suitable for treating superficial site diseases and have found extensive applications in antibacterial and anticancer therapies. These characteristics make them convenient and effective for addressing oral diseases. Conclusions: This review aimed to summarize the classification, mechanism of action, and application of stimuli-responsive materials in the treatment of oral diseases, point out the existing limitations, and speculate the prospects for clinical applications. Clinical relevance: Our findings may provide useful information of stimuli-responsive materials in oral diseases for dental clinicians.