Emerging Nanotechnologies in Dentistry

Karthikeyan Subramani, Waqar Ahmed

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9780128122921
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Physical & Theoretical Chemistry

Emerging Nanotechnologies in Dentistry, Second Edition, brings together an international team of experts from the fields of materials science, nanotechnology and dentistry to explain these new materials and their applications for the restoration, fixation, replacement or regeneration of hard and soft tissues in and about the oral cavity and craniofacial region.New nanomaterials are leading to a range of emerging dental treatments that utilize more biomimetic materials that more closely duplicate natural tooth structure (or bone, in the case of implants). Each chapter has been comprehensively revised from the first edition, and new chapters cover important advances in graphene based materials for dentistry, liposome based nanocarriers and the neurotoxicity of nanomaterials used in dentistry.- Offers a comprehensive professional reference for the subject covering materials fabrication and use of materials for all major diagnostic and therapeutic dental applications: repair, restoration, regeneration, implants and prevention- Focuses in depth on the materials manufacturing processes involved, with emphasis on pre-clinical and clinical applications, use and biocompatibility- Examines the use of novel nanomaterials including graphene in dentistry, exploring how these may best be used

Chapter 1

Nanotechnology and its applications in dentistry—An introduction

Karthikeyan Subramani¹ and Waqar Ahmed², ¹Roseman University of Health Sciences, Henderson, NV, United States, ²University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a term that is used to describe the science and technology related to the control and manipulation of matter and devices on a scale less than 100 nm in dimension. It involves a multidisciplinary approach involving fields such as applied physics, materials science, chemistry, biology, biomedical engineering, surface science, electrical engineering, and robotics. At the nanoscale level the properties of matter are dictated and there are fewer boundaries between scientific disciplines. Generally, two main approaches have been used in nanotechnology. These are known as the “bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches. The former involves building up from atoms into molecules to assemble nanostructures, materials, and devices. The second approach involves making structures and devices from larger entities without specific control at the atomic level. Progress in both approaches has been accelerated in recent years with the development and application of highly sensitive instruments. For example, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), electron beam lithography, molecular beam epitaxy, and so on have become available to push forward developments in this exciting new field. These instruments allow observation and manipulation of novel nanostructures. By investigating and understanding the functionality of materials at the micro/nanoscale level, the scientific community is working toward finding new techniques to achieve maximum functional output from these materials with minimum energy and resource input. Extensive research is being done worldwide to understand the advantages and scientific limitations of nanotechnology and its applications in a wide range of disciplines from material science, biomedical research to space research. In the field of medicine, nanotechnology has been extensively applied in nanoparticle-based drug delivery, nanoscale diagnostic tools, tissue engineering, and biosensors. In the field of dentistry, there have been numerous research work done over the past few decades exploring the applications of nanotechnology in dental biomaterials, dental implantology, dental instruments, nanoparticles/scaffolds for bone regeneration around dental implants and maxillofacial region, and nanodiagnostic tools to diagnose oral pathology. In this chapter the applications of nanotechnology in dentistry have been outlined and are described in the subsequent chapters of this book.

Keywords

Nanotechnology; dentistry; top-down approach; bottom-up approach; nanomanufacturing; nanodentistry

Chapter Outline

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Nanotechnology Approaches 2

1.3 Nanotechnology to Nanomanufacturing 3

1.3.1 Top-Down Approach 4

1.3.2 Bottom-Up Approach 6

1.4 Nanodentistry 11

1.5 Future Directions and Conclusions 14

References 14

1.1 Introduction

Although nanotechnology has been around since the beginning of time, the discovery of nanotechnology has been widely attributed to the American Physicist and Nobel Laureate Dr. Richard Phillips Feynman [1] who presented a paper called There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom in December 29, 1959 at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society meeting at California Institute of Technology. Feynman talked about the storage of information on a very small scale, writing and reading in atoms, about miniaturization of the computer, building tiny machines, tiny factories, and electronic circuits with atoms. He stated, “In the year 2000, when they look back at this age, they will wonder why it was not until the year 1960 that anybody began seriously to move in this direction.” However, he did not specifically use the term “nanotechnology.” The first use of the word “nanotechnology” has been attributed to Taniguchi [2] in a paper published in 1974 “On the Basic Concept of NanoTechnology.” Dr. K. Eric Drexler, an MIT graduate, later took Feynman’s concept of a billion tiny factories and added the idea that they could make more copies of themselves, via computer control instead of control by a human operator, in his 1986 book Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, to popularize the potential of nanotechnology.

Since then several definitions of nanotechnology have evolved. For example, the dictionary (Merriam Webster dictionary 2010) definition states that nanotechnology is “the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale especially to build microscopic devices.” Other definitions include the US government (US Government www.nano.gov) which state, “Nanotechnology is research and technology development at the atomic, molecular, or macromolecular level in the length scale of approximately 1–100 nm range, to provide a fundamental understanding of phenomena and materials at the nanoscale and to create and use structures, devices, and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size.” The Japanese [K. Shimizu, INC 2, USA (2006)] have come up with a more focused and succinct definition. “True Nano”: as nanotechnology which is expected to cause scientific or technological quantum jumps, or to provide great industrial applications by using phenomena and characteristics peculiar in nanolevel.

Regardless of the definition that is used, it is evident that the properties of matter are controlled at a scale between 1 and 100 nm. For example, chemical properties take advantage of large surface-to-volume ratio for catalysis, interfacial and surface chemistry is important in many applications. Mechanical properties involve improved strength hardness in light-weight nanocomposites and nanomaterials, altered bending, compression properties, nanomechanics of molecular structures. Optical properties involve absorption and fluorescence of nanocrystals, single photon phenomena, and photonic band-gap engineering. Fluidic properties give rise to enhanced flow using nanoparticles and nanoscale adsorbed films are also important.

1.2 Nanotechnology Approaches

Numerous approaches have been utilized successfully in nanotechnology, and as the technology develops further, approaches may emerge. The approaches employed thus far have generally been dictated by the technology available and the background experience of the researchers involved. Nanotechnology is a truly multidisciplinary field involving chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, electronics, social sciences, etc., which need to be integrated together in order to generate the next level of development in nanotechnology (Fig. 1.1). Fuel cells, mechanically stronger materials, nanobiological devices, molecular electronics, quantum devices, carbon nanotubes, etc. have been made using nanotechnology. Even social scientists are debating ethical use of nanotechnology.

Figure 1.1 Multidisciplinary nature of nanotechnology.

The two main approaches in order to explain nanotechnology to the general public have been oversimplified and have become known as the “top-down” approach. This involves fabrication of device structures via monolithic processing on the nanoscale. This approach has been used with spectacular success in the semiconductor devices used in consumer electronics. The “bottom-up” approach involves the fabrication of device structures via systematic assembly of atoms, molecules, or other basic units of matter. This is the approach nature uses to repair cells, tissues, and organ systems in living things and indeed for life processes such as protein synthesis. Tools are evolving which will give scientists more control over the synthesis and characterization of novel nanostructures yielding a range of new products in the near future.

1.3 Nanotechnology to Nanomanufacturing

A huge amount of research is being carried out internationally, and governments and research organizations are spending large amounts of money and human resources into nanotechnology. This has generated interesting scientific output and potential commercial applications, some of which have been translated into products produced on a large scale. However, in order to realize commercial benefits far more from lab scale applications need to be commercialized and for that to happen nanotechnology needs to enter the realm of nanomanufacturing. This involves using the technologies available to produce products on a large scale which is economically viable. Regardless of whether a top-down or bottom-up approach is used, a nanomanufacturing/nanofabrication ...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• List of Contributors
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1. Nanotechnology and its applications in dentistry—An introduction
• Chapter 2. Nanoparticles for dental materials: Synthesis, analysis, and applications
• Chapter 3. Antimicrobial nanoparticles in restorative composites
• Chapter 4. Nanotechnology in operative dentistry: A perspective approach of history, mechanical behavior, and clinical application
• Chapter 5. Impact of nanotechnology on dental implants
• Chapter 6. Titanium surface modification techniques for dental implants—From microscale to nanoscale
• Chapter 7. Titanium nanotubes as carriers of osteogenic growth factors and antibacterial drugs for applications in dental implantology
• Chapter 8. Cellular responses to nanoscale surface modifications of titanium implants for dentistry and bone tissue engineering applications
• Chapter 9. Corrosion resistance of Ti–6Al–4V with nanostructured TiO2 coatings
• Chapter 10. Multiwalled Carbon nanotubes/hydroxyapatite nanoparticles incorporated GTR membranes
• Chapter 11. Nanoapatitic composite scaffolds for stem cell delivery and bone tissue engineering
• Chapter 12. Self-assembly of proteins and peptides and their applications in bionanotechnology and dentistry
• Chapter 13. Surface engineering of dental tools with diamond for enhanced life and performance
• Chapter 14. Nanomechanical characterization of mineralized tissues in the oral cavity
• Chapter 15. Nanoindentation techniques for the determination of mechanical properties of materials in dentistry
• Chapter 16. Nanocharacterization techniques for dental implant development
• Chapter 17. Nanoparticulate drug-delivery systems for oral cancer treatment
• Chapter 18. Carbon nanotubes: Applications in cancer therapy and drug delivery research
• Chapter 19. Nanodiagnostics in microbiology and dentistry
• Chapter 20. Neurotoxicity of nanomaterials
• Index