Filling material that ‘heals teeth’ given prize
Researchers who have created regenerative dental fillings that could help heal teeth have been awarded a Royal Society of Chemistry prize.
The team from the University of Nottingham and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University have developed therapeutic, synthetic, light-curable biomaterials for dental treatments which support native dental stem cells inside teeth to repair and regenerate dentine which have been injred from disease or surgery.
The research won second prize in the materials category of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies competition 2016. Applications were judged on the degree of innovation of the technology, its potential impact, and the quality of the science behind it. The group will receive tailored business support from a multinational partner companies, business training, media support, and a cash prize of £3,000.
Dr Adam Celiz, Marie Curie research fellow at the University of Nottingham, said that “Existing dental fillings are toxic to cells and are therefore incompatible with pulp tissue inside the tooth. In cases of dental pulp disease and injury a root canal is typically performed to remove the infected tissues.”
She went on to explain the team’s creation, saying that “We have designed synthetic biomaterials that can be used similarly to dental fillings but can be placed in direct contact with pulp tissue to stimulate the native stem cell population for repair and regeneration of pulp tissue and the surrounding dentine. Our approach has great promise to impact the dental field and this prize provides a great platform to develop this technology further with industrial partners.”
Dr Kyle Vining, fellow at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, also discussed the team’s research, statng that “We are excited about the promise of therapeutic biomaterials for bringing regenerative medicine to restorative dentistry.”
