Search

The use of biomaterials in dentistry is more widespread than in any other medical field in terms of both amount and variety. Most of them were not originally designed for dental applications but for other medical applications or, sometimes, for no medical purposes. Among these materials, biodegradable materials play an important role, especially in bone regeneration and in periodontal surgery. This paper briefly reviews some degradable polymers developed as tools for the treatment of periodontal and bone diseases. We discuss materials previously applied in other industrials contexts, such as polyesters, methylcellulose, and chitosan and we provide perspectives for their use in periodontal regeneration.

Recent developments in nanotechnology have provided new tools for both cancer imaging and treatment. The functionalization of the nanocarrier based drugs using biological ligands allows increasing specificity of drug targeting enhancing efficacy and reducing side effects. In this paper some current nanocarrier based drugs are described and the principles for their functionalization in cancer treatment and imaging are reviewed.

Purpose: This research concerns the characterization of an electrochemical surface treatment applied to titanium, focused especially on the treatment of the transmucosal area of dental implants and abutments. The treatment is applied to improve soft tissue adhesion, to control and limit bacteria adhesion and proliferation, and to improve the aesthetic performance through a proper colorization of the metal surface., Methods: The electrochemical treatment considered, obtained on titanium by Anodic Spark Deposition technique (ASD), was performed in a calcium phosphate enriched solution. The bacteria behaviour was assessed by in vitro and in vivo tests., Results: The investigated ASD treatment showed some antibacterial effect. No negative cytocompatibility effects were found on MG63 - human osteosarcoma cell lines and L929 - murine fibroblasts., Conclusions: The ASD modified treatment was found capable of modifying the titanium oxide layer providing a prevalent anatase crystalline structure and a microporous morphology, which can play an important role in the tissue integration process. The treatment was found capable of enriching the surface with calcium, providing improved biocompatibility and a light gray colorization. This last point is important for the aesthetic improvement of dental implant systems in the transgingival area.

The increasing use of biomaterials and medical devices has led to the development of new families of diseases related precisely to the use of the biomaterials and medical devices themselves. Microbial contamination of the devices is a serious and widespread problem in surgery because it often causes devastating infections and loss of the implanted devices. The methods of contamination in medical devices are dependent on many peculiar factors including the chemistry of the biomaterial, the physical properties of the surface, the design of the medical device, the implanted anatomical site, the extension of surgical invasion, and the time of application. The environment and/or conditions and response of the host also contribute to the development of the colonization and infection. Many bacteria and fungi spp. are involved in biomaterial infections, but most belong to endogenous bacteria or the commensal community of the skin such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus. Medical device contamination always develops into biofilm formation, which constitutes a protected mode for the bacteria to survive in a hostile environment by optimizing nutrient uptake, as it is sheltered from the removal forces and is protected from the host defense mechanism and from potential toxic or harmful substances including antibiotics. Therefore, studies concerning infections related to implanted materials are of increasing frequency and interest. Both in vitro and in vivo studies are reported to simulate biomaterial infection. We report suggestions concerning useful standards and strategies to re-duce contamination on biomaterials. (Journal of Applied Biomaterials and Biomechanics 2005; 3: 1-10).

The periodontal ligament (PDL) has been found to house progenitor elements which may give rise to a new periodontium when properly triggered. Complex molecular mechanisms are involved in guiding such cells towards their final regenerative task. Hyaluronan (HA), an extracellular matrix molecule abundantly present during early tissue development, is usually found at high concentrations in all adult mammalian PDL tissue. In this study, PDL cells were cultured on HA coated experimental plastic Petri's dishes (E.D.) and mineralized-nodules formation, at the microscopical level, was evaluated in comparison to HA-free control dishes (C.D.) after 21 days. Little colony formation occurred in presence of HA, whereas CD showed normal cell confluence with mineralization of nodules even at 10 days. However, when harvesting was performed from both dishes after only 12 hours, before cell aggregation occurred, cell confluence and nodule formation could be seen with no apparent difference between test and control. This study shows that, with respect to PDL cells, hyaluronan seems to inhibit cell adhesion, although with no interference with cell aggregates calcifying potentials. This latter finding may: a) provide further insight in analyzing the properties of extracellular matrix substrates in the PDL environment, b)guide research to possible explanations on how the PDL maintains its characteristics of uncalcified tissue and c) lead to theorize regarding utilization in tissue regeneration. (Journal of Applied Biomaterial & Biomechanics 2003; 1: 84-90).