Dental News - Forsyth starts commercalization of blue light gum treatment technology

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 24 November 2011

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BOSTON, Mass., USA: The Forsyth Institute in Boston has signed an exclusive licencing agreement with a U.S.-based start-up for the commercialisation of a recently patented blue-light based technology for use in dentistry. Under the terms of the contract, Lexington-based PhotOral will be allowed to support the development and marketing of an intraoral cleaning system working against bacteria that cause gingivitis.

The promising technology was developed and first documented by Forsyth researchers Nikos Soukos and Max Goodson. They found that light with a particular wavelength, typically used in teeth whitening procedures, did also eradicate so-called “black-pigmented bacteria” that are responsible for the inflammation of gum tissue. In addition, their study showed that the proportion of other healthy bacteria increased.

“This suggests that it might one day be feasible to use light to restore a healthy bacterial balance in the mouth, “ Soukos told the Harvard Gazette in 2005.

However, it took the researchers more than five years to receive a patent.

According to PhotOral CEO Stamatis Astra, a Boston University business graduate and public radio talk show host, a prototype of the device is expected to be available within the next 12-18 months. He said that it will be targeted at the consumer market and be priced at $90 dollars. His company would now be in the process of raising $10 million for financing first clinical trials and production.

Astra told the New England technology journal Mass High Tech that the technology could be also used in the future to disinfecting wounds.

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