Research

Researchers at the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan has published a paper in Nanotechnology demonstrating the use of gold nanoparticles in occluding dental tubules. Researchers have found that sensitive teeth have an increased number of dentinal tubules (35.6% compared to 9.3%) and are wider in diameter (0.83 µm compared to 0.43 µm) than the dentinal tubules of non sensitive dentine. The Chinese researchers have demonstrated that this tubules can be blocked with the aid

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Drs. Marx et al. of the University of Miami have published a comprehensive paper on `Risk factors, Prediction of Risk using Serum CTX Testing, Prevention and Treatment` of Oral Bisphosphonate-Induced Osteonecrosis in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery (pages 2397-2410). It gives specific guidelines to help to assess the risk of BRONJ and a suggested course of treatment should the condition develop in one of your patients.

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A New England Journal of Medicine article found that the number of CT Scans most people are exposed to had risen dramatically in the past 27 years. In 1980, doctors ordered an average of 3 million scans per year in the United States. Now, about 62 million CT Scans are done each year in this country. The rise in CT Scans can be attributed, in part, to an increase in `defensive` medicine. This occurs, for example, when people who are

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A team of Brown University engineers, led by Thomas Webster, has discovered a new material that could significantly increase osseointegration success rate. Osteoblasts grow faster and produce more calcium on anodized titanium covered in carbon nanotubes compared with plain anodized titanium and the non-anodized version currently used in orthopaedic implants. The work, published in Nanotechnology, uncovers a new material that can be used to make more successful implants. The research also shows tantalizing promise for an all-new device: a “smart”

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The new method exploits a membrane-spanning protein called TRPV1, which is unique to pain-sensing neurons. TRPV1 forms a large channel, where molecules can enter and exit the cell. But a “gate” typically blocks this opening. The gate opens when cells are exposed to heat or the chili-pepper ingredient capsaicin. Thus, bathing pain-sensing neurons in capsaicin leaves these channels open, but non-pain sensing neurons are unaffected because they do not possess TRPV1. “We’re optimistic that this method will eventually be applied

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Professor Markus Buehler of MIT`s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has revealed for the first time the role of bone`s atomistic structure in a toughening mechanism that incorporates two theories previously proposed by researchers eager to understand the secret behind the material`s lightweight strength. He studied the molecular structure of the mineralized collagen fibrils that make up level 2 bone, hoping to find the mechanism behind bone`s strength, which is considerable for such a lightweight, porous material. When pressure

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Using stem cells harvested from the extracted wisdom teeth of young adults, researchers have successfully generated tooth root and supporting tooth ligaments to support a crown restoration in experiments using miniature pigs. The restored tooth mirrored the original tooth in function and strength, the research team reports in the December issue of the open access medical journal PLoS ONE. The technique holds promise for use in humans, the investigators say. Dr. Songtao Shi said: “In this study, we use stem

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