Dental Materials for Ultra-Long-Term Caries Prevention

Tooth decay (dental cavities or caries) affects over 90% of the population worldwide, however their treatment with “white” resin composite fillings yields significantly worse results than classic metallic fillings. Caries-causing bacteria penetrate the space between tooth and filling, causing further tooth decay. This damage must be treated by removing the previous filling and diseased tooth tissue, and subsequently re-filled. We have developed novel antimicrobial microspheres that are loaded into the dental filling material, preventing bacterial infiltration for the patients lifetime. This Mitacs-supported research seeks to characterize the properties of a new dental material formulation using these microspheres. This will increase the confidence in our invention to attract further funding to the partner Mesosil Inc. and demonstrating exact control over antimicrobial effect. Both will allow future animal and clinical trials, which will be necessary for Mesosil to conduct for regulatory approval.

Faculty Supervisor:

Yoav Finer

Student:

Cameron Stewart

Partner:

Mesosil Inc

Discipline:

Dentistry

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: