new paradigm in imolant dentisrtry??????

Researchers of Castelló and Basque Country develope a biodegradable coating which quickens and widens compatibility of tooth implants

Elderly or people with osteoporosis, smokers, diabetics or people who have had cancer are sometimes not eligible to receive dental implants due to the lack of ability of their bones to integrate in a proper way the new prosthesis which replace the root. The coating of implants with a novel biodegradable material, developed by researchers at the Universitat Jaume I, University of the Basque Country and the company Ilerimplant, will allow perform implants in people with bone deficit, while increasing the overall success rate of implants through an enhanced biocompatibility and reduce the time of osseointegration, i.e. the bone integration.

If so far the titanium radicle replacing the tooth root took to be anchored to the jawbone at least two months, the prototype developed will reduce the time so that patients can receive before the ceramic crown, which replaces the visible part of the tooth, and thus regain their normal life before. Julio José Suay, coordinator of the research group of Polymers and Advanced Materials of the UJI explains "it consists on covering the implant with a biodegradable coating that, upon contact with the bone, dissolves and during this degradation process is able to release silicon compounds and other bioactive molecules which induce bone generation".

This is a totally innovative research line for the systems used to date, which consists of increasing roughness of implants to facilitate its integration into the bone. In this regard, Suay stresses that Soldent is a collaborative project between academia and industry developed in the framework of the call “Innpacto” of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and competitiveness. “What is sought is to achieve a high level of innovation to favour that research centres and companies work closely together. From the needs detected by companies, in this case by patients, researches are redirected and in this way are achieved disruptive innovations, which are not in markets and which open new business opportunities", he says.

For the Soldent project, researchers at the Jaume I and the University of the Basque Country are working together with the company Ilerimplant SL in the competitive development of this prototype. After in vitro testing with cell cultures of the different biomaterials prepared, we proceeded to the live animal evaluation, until achieving the prototype with the best results. In a new phase, Suay explains that will be done the clinical evaluation, in order to obtain the marketable sanitary product within two or three years.

The research aims to encourage the success rate of dental implants, especially those made on people that may have deficiencies in their jawbone. In this regard, it is noted that non-replacement of a lost tooth involves a series of biomechanical problems such as change of the bite line, the disordering of the teeth and the creation of empty spaces between them, which ultimately can lead to periodontal diseases as gingivitis and periodontitis deteriorating clamping mechanisms of the teeth and cause the loss of more teeth. Herein lies the importance of replacing the teeth, in addition to the full recovery of the masticatory functions and normal social relations.

Dental prosthesis replacing natural teeth are composed of a titanium root prosthesis, which replaces the tooth root and to be anchored to the jawbone, and the ceramic crown, which replaces the visible part of the tooth. The root prosthesis should be anchored to the bone enough before applying mechanical load on it, which means that to date it is needed over a minimum of eight weeks to incorporate the crown. The coating obtained accelerates the anchor period, so that the crown can be placed before, also avoiding the risk of infection during this time.

Video: http://blogs.uji.es/cienciatv/

Publications:
– M. Hernández-Escolano, M. Juan-Díaz, M. Martínez-Ibáñez, A. Jimenez-Morales, I. Goñi, M. Gurruchaga &J. Suay “The design and characterisation of sol–gel coatings for the controlled-release of active molecules” Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology DOI 10.1007/s10971-012-2876-6

– M. Hernández-Escolano, X. Ramis, A. Jiménez-Morales, M. Juan-Díaz, J. Suay "Study of the thermal degradation of bioactive sol–gel coatings for the optimization of its curing process” J Therm Anal Calorim DOI 10.1007/s10973-011-1553-2