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Dental applications of nanostructured bioactive glass and its composites
Author(s) -
Polini Alessandro,
Bai Hao,
Tomsia Antoni P.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1939-0041
pISSN - 1939-5116
DOI - 10.1002/wnan.1224
Subject(s) - nanotechnology , hard tissue , bioactive glass , materials science , regeneration (biology) , drug delivery , biocompatible material , nanomedicine , biomedical engineering , dentistry , medicine , nanoparticle , composite material , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Abstract To improve treatments of bone or dental trauma and diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, and infections, scientists who perform basic research are collaborating with clinicians to design and test new biomaterials for the regeneration of lost or injured tissue. Developed some 40 years ago, bioactive glass (BG) has recently become one of the most promising biomaterials, a consequence of discoveries that its unusual properties elicit specific biological responses inside the body. Among these important properties are the capability of BG to form strong interfaces with both hard and soft tissues, and its release of ions upon dissolution. Recent developments in nanotechnology have introduced opportunities for materials sciences to advance dental and bone therapies. For example, the applications for BG expand as it becomes possible to finely control structures and physicochemical properties of materials at the molecular level. Here, we review how the properties of these materials have been enhanced by the advent of nanotechnology, and how these developments are producing promising results in hard‐tissue regeneration and development of innovative BG‐based drug delivery systems. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2013, 5:399–410. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1224 This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement