Nanotechnology and the future of dentistry

This chapter provides an overview of nanotechnology and its future applications in dentistry. In the field of medicine, nanotechnology has been applied in diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases. Nanotechnology offers considerable scope in dentistry to improve dental treatment, care, and prevention of oral diseases. Nanotechnology has been in dentistry for tooth sealants and fillers that use nanosized particles to improve their strength, luster, and resist wear. Antimicrobial nanoparticles in restorative composite materials are used to prevent dental caries. Silver particles as antibacterial agents when used in fillers and toothpastes can retard bacterial growth and reduce tooth decay. It is envisaged that in the longer term biomimetic approaches and nanotechnology will be used to repair and rebuild damaged enamel. In near future, nanomaterials will be used far more widely and will yield superior properties and combined with biotechnology, laser and digital guided surgery will provide excellent dental care. Smarter preventive measures and earlier interventions to avert craniofacial disorders using nanodiagnostics seems a reality. Nanotechnology research will pave the way for development of tools which would allow clinicians to diagnose and treat oral malignancies at their earliest stage. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved