Inducing bioactivity of dental ceramic/bioactive glass composites by Nd:YAG laser

From names to concepts: Unraveling bioactivity in restorative dental materials

BACKGROUND

The authors aimed to establish the scope and types of evidence concerning the bioactivity of materials used in restorative dentistry. The investigation adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews and Joanna Briggs Institute methodologies for scoping reviews and was registered on the Open Science Framework platform.

TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED

A systematic search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases through May 31, 2024, along with gray literature and manual searching of the list of references in the articles. Inclusion criteria encompassed clinical and laboratory studies exploring the bioactivity of restorative materials, including both temporary and permanent, commercially available, or experimental materials. Studies deviating from manufacturer's suggested applications for the materials were excluded.

RESULTS

The qualitative analysis incorporated 80 studies. There was a predominance of in vitro studies (63), complemented by a smaller number of reviews (11), randomized clinical trials (4), and case reports (2). Among the various types of restorative materials, resin composites and resin cements were investigated most extensively. Additive components commonly used within the studied restorative materials were bioactive glass and hydroxyapatite or nanohydroxyapatite.

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Clinically, the benefits of composites purported to be bioactive remain uncertain. This is largely because the scientific evidence for the bioactivity of dental restorative materials comes mainly from in vitro studies, and there is an absence of specific guidelines for the use of these materials. At this stage, using complementary in vitro methods, such as assessing apatite formation, therapeutic ion release, and mineral formation at the dentin-material interface, is recommended to evaluate bioactivity.

Bioactive Glasses in Periodontal Regeneration: Existing Strategies and Future Prospects-A Literature Review

The present review deals with bioactive glasses (BGs), a class of biomaterials renowned for their osteoinductive and osteoconductive capabilities, and thus widely used in tissue engineering, i.e., for the repair and replacement of damaged or missing bone. In particular, the paper deals with applications in periodontal regeneration, with a special focus on in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. The study reviewed eligible publications, identified on the basis of inclusion/exclusion criteria, over a ranged time of fifteen years (from 1 January 2006 to 31 March 2021). While there are many papers dealing with in vitro tests, only a few have reported in vivo (in animal) research, or even clinical trials. Regardless, BGs seem to be an adequate choice as grafts in periodontal regeneration.

The Use of Lasers in Dental Materials: A Review

Lasers have been well integrated in clinical dentistry for the last two decades, providing clinical alternatives in the management of both soft and hard tissues with an expanding use in the field of dental materials. One of their main advantages is that they can deliver very low to very high concentrated power at an exact point on any substrate by all possible means. The aim of this review is to thoroughly analyze the use of lasers in the processing of dental materials and to enlighten the new trends in laser technology focused on dental material management. New approaches for the elaboration of dental materials that require high energy levels and delicate processing, such as metals, ceramics, and resins are provided, while time consuming laboratory procedures, such as cutting restorative materials, welding, and sintering are facilitated. In addition, surface characteristics of titanium alloys and high strength ceramics can be altered. Finally, the potential of lasers to increase the adhesion of zirconia ceramics to different substrates has been tested for all laser devices, including a new ultrafast generation of lasers.

Sol-gel bioglasses in dental and periodontal regeneration: A systematic review

Due to their osteoconductive and osteoinductive abilities, bioglasses (BGs) have attracted attention in tissue engineering, especially for mineralized tissue. The aim of this study is to review the current state of the art on the effects of BGs produced by sol-gel on cells for dental and periodontal regeneration. The study also discusses associated antibacterial properties. The research was performed by considering the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and the Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The research ranged 5 years' window time (from January, 01, 2012, to August, 31, 2017) and the relevant studies were identified based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. A total of 45 articles were selected from 244 initial returns, plus seven further articles coming from other sources were selected for the same purpose. From this systematic study, it is revealed that only 13 of the 52 articles have proved both the ability of BGs to differentiate dental cells at genetic level and their ability of triggering cell-mediated mineralization, but only six of them showed, along with cells, the antibacterial properties of the glasses. This review shows that sol-gel BGs are not toxic, can sustain cell proliferation and differentiation at a genetic level, and can keep the bacterial population under control. Moreover, a standard methodology and an ideal material are suggested. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 1210-1227, 2019.