Dental News - Cold plasma tech could be 'a blast' for teeth

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 24 January 2012

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MEMPHIS & COLOMBIA, Tenn., USA: Human trials on a revolutionary method to prepare dental cavities are expected to begin soon in the U.S.. In cooperation with Nanova Inc, a Columbia-based start-up, a research team from the University of Tennessee-Memphis will test a device that is said to improve longevity of fillings through treatment with streams of low-temperature ionised gas.

The so-called “plasma brush” received first recognition in 2009 when the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme of the U.S. government awarded US$157,000 to Nanova for the development of the device. According to company representative Meng Chen, first lab test with the method have recently turned out successful without producing any side effects.

The technology uses characteristics of non-thermal plasma, also known as "cold plasma" owing to its low temperature, that has been already applied by other industrial sectors like the food industry to sanitise fragile surfaces like those of fruit permanently. Similar to that the MU research team found that it also helped to disinfect oral cavities by producing oxygen-free radicals that are able to destroy biological microorganisms like bacteria by disrupting their cellular membranes.

Earlier research conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles produced similar results on biofilms cultivated in root canals of extracted human teeth.

Despite its antimicrobial potential, the MU research team also found that cold plasma was able to enhance the bonding between the natural tooth surface and different filling materials by changing the surface of dentine through a chemical reaction.

“Our studies indicate that fillings are 60 per cent stronger with the plasma brush, which would increase the filling's lifespan, “Hao Li, a professor of the University of Missouri College of Engineering said.

Chen said that if the trials produce clinical data that confirm the initial findings, the device could be available to dentists by end of next year depending on approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.

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