BIOCOMDA: Biobased Composites for Dental Applications

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease, causing progressive degeneration of the tooth and the alveolar bone that supports the tooth. When untreated, it leads to irreversible damage to the tooth-supporting tissue and may even cause early tooth loss (He, 2020). Conventional treatments minimise symptoms of periodontitis, however, they cannot restore the reattachment of the teeth to the gums.

Hence, regenerative methods have been developed, such as guided tissue regeneration (GTR) or tissue engineering approaches (Liang, 2020). Despite a lot of research being done on the materials and technologies used for periodontal regeneration, periodontitis is still a prevalent disease. It affects 20-50% of the global population, financially impacting not only the patient, but also the public healthcare system (Chen, 2010; He, 2020).

Hence, by working with dentists, this project will try to bridge the gap between academia and dental practice and develop a material or device for periodontal regeneration that will be directly applicable in the dentist's office. Furthermore, the materials used should be biobased and locally sourced, to make the final product more environmentally friendly and sustainable.

The objectives of this project are as follows:

1. Collaboration and industry engagement: collaborate with dental professionals, biomaterial experts, and industry partners to gather input, validate findings, and facilitate potential technology transfer and/or spinning out.

2. Material selection and characterisation: investigate and select suitable biodegradable polymers and reinforcing agents derived from renewable resources for optimal performance in gum and bone generation.

3. Composite fabrication and optimisation and mechanical testing: develop and optimise fabrication techniques and composite composition to effectively blend the selected biodegradable polymers and reinforcing agents to create biobased composites with desirable properties; perform mechanical tests to determine the strength, flexibility, and other relevant properties of the developed composites.

4. Environmental impact assessment: evaluate the environmental impact of the developed materials compared to traditional counterparts.

5. Regulatory compliance: ensure that the developed biobased composites adhere to relevant regulatory guidelines for medical devices and biomaterials.

6. Publication and dissemination: publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences to contribute to the scientific community's understanding of sustainable biomaterials.

These objectives will be achieved through a mix of participatory research (questionnaires and communication with the dental industry) and laboratory work (materials manufacturing and mechanical testing). If successful, this project would make periodontitis treatment easier, faster and more accessible, with better results in fewer visits to the dentist's office.

This could reduce the occurrence of periodontitis in the UK, leading to a smaller financial burden both to the patient and the healthcare system.

Chen, F.M., Zhang, J., Zhang, M., An, Y., Chen, F. and Wu, Z.F., 2010. A review on endogenous regenerative technology in periodontal regenerative medicine. Biomaterials, 31(31), pp.7892-7927. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142961210008604

He, X.T., Wu, R.X. and Chen, F.M., 2020. Chapter 66 - Periodontal tissue engineering and regeneration. Principles of tissue engineering, pp. 1221-1249. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978012818422600068X

Liang, Y., Luan, X. and Liu, X., 2020. Recent advances in periodontal regeneration: A biomaterial perspective. Bioactive materials [Online], 5(2), pp.297-308. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452199X20300359