Category·Articles
Dental Technology
What has actually changed in dental technology in recent years, read from the research
A New Test Predicts Cavities From Bacteria in a Child's Saliva
A new study read the bacterial makeup of saliva from cavity-free one-year-olds through gene sequencing to gauge whether they would develop cavities by age two. The ratio of just four bacterial species alone reached 80% accuracy, but with only thirty children in the sample, further validation is still needed.
4 min read
Ion-Releasing Dental Fillings: Secondary Caries Prevention Varies by Material
Dental restoratives that release calcium and fluoride ions to prevent secondary caries are becoming more common. Three recent meta-analyses found that glass ionomer clearly reduced secondary caries risk, but no statistical evidence showed that giomer or alkasite materials prevent secondary caries better than conventional composite resin. We review these findings alongside a 12-month clinical trial.
3 min read
Hallym, Seoul National University Team Confirms Pain Reduction From TMD App Add-On Treatment
A prescription smartphone app for temporomandibular disorder reduced pain more than a placebo app in a clinical trial. This piece covers the app's features, how the effect emerged, and the results from a trial at South Korean university hospitals.
3 min read
Toregem's Tooth Regeneration Antibody Completes Phase 1, Prepares for Phase 2a
A treatment that uses antibody injections to regrow new teeth is being developed for patients with congenital tooth agenesis, who never develop some permanent teeth. A joint research team including Kitano Hospital and Kyoto University confirmed the possibility in animals, and developer Toregem has announced completion of Phase 1 and completion of the regulatory review for its Phase 2a trial plan. Whether this works to regenerate teeth in humans remains to be verified.
4 min read
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou University Detect TMJ Motion Abnormalities With Ear Sensor
A joint research team from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Lanzhou University has developed an earplug-shaped sensor that detects abnormal temporomandibular joint (TMJ) motion. By measuring deformation of the ear canal wall and analyzing the collected signals, a preliminary classification showed 91.7% accuracy. This figure does not represent confirmed diagnostic accuracy in real clinical settings.
3 min read
Virtual Reality Eases Dental Anxiety in Children, but Effects in Adults Still Unclear
A growing body of research shows virtual reality headsets reduce dental anxiety and pain in children. In adults, however, only the pain-reducing effect has been confirmed, and heart rate differed between immersive and non-immersive devices.
4 min read
LMU Munich Study Finds Vibrating Splint Reduces Duration of Teeth Grinding
A team at LMU Munich reported in a 2020 study that the frequency and duration of bruxism episodes decreased while using the bruXane vibrating splint. This article looks at how the device combines pressure sensing with vibration feedback in a tooth-protecting appliance, and what happened after use was stopped.
2 min read
A Mouthguard Sensor That Measures Gum Inflammation in Real Time
A research team at Pusan National University has developed a wearable sensor embedded in a mouthguard that continuously measures the concentration of a gum-inflammation enzyme. This article explains how it captures its target using a molecularly imprinted polymer and interprets the signal with deep learning, along with validation results from a study of 60 adults.
4 min read
Snoring Mouthpiece: A Custom Support Design That Eases Front Tooth Pain
A digitally fabricated oral appliance with a customized lip bumper reduced lower front tooth pain in a pilot trial of 24 patients. Because the comparison device was also digitally made, the study isolates design differences rather than digital fabrication itself. This piece looks at how mandibular advancement devices work, how designs differ, and what the short-term results do and don't show.
3 min read
PRF vs. Emdogain: Periodontal Indicators Stay Improved at 3 and 5 Years
This article examines periodontal regenerative surgery research comparing PRF, made from a patient's own blood, with Emdogain, an enamel matrix derivative gel. Clinical indicator improvements were maintained at 3- and 5-year follow-up, but a lack of difference in small studies is not enough to confirm that the two materials are equally effective.
4 min read
UCLA Team Accelerates Organic Molecule Breakdown for Implant Surface Treatment
A UCLA dental research team reported in 2023 that vacuum ultraviolet light decomposed over 90% of a model organic compound in just one minute. The study aims to shorten implant surface treatment time, and its results were measured using a dye inside a quartz container.
2 min read
Photobiomodulation for Orthodontic Pain: The Effect Depends on How the Laser Is Delivered
More dental clinics are using lasers to ease orthodontic pain. The latest research confirms that low-level laser therapy (photobiomodulation) reliably reduces pain, but its effect on speeding up tooth movement is still modest.
3 min read
A Self-Test Kit for Periodontitis Has Arrived
Rinse with mouth rinse, drop it on a test strip, and within five minutes an aMMP-8 self-test kit tells you how much gum tissue destruction is happening right now. Several countries already use it. Here's how it works, how accurate it is, and where it misses early-stage disease.
4 min read
Zirconia Restoration Longevity Comes Down to Shape, Not Material
A review pooling 66 studies on zirconia restorations found that crowns exceeded 90% survival at 10 years, while bridges supported by only one abutment tooth reached only about half that rate. Shape and bonding method, not the material itself, determined longevity.
3 min read
White Spot Lesions: Self-Assembling Peptides Rebuild Teeth from the Inside
Clinical trials are testing self-assembling peptide (P11-4) as an alternative to fluoride for remineralizing early caries such as white spot lesions that appear after orthodontic treatment. It outperforms fluoride at filling the lesion from within, but results on visible surface improvement have been mixed across studies.
3 min read
Digital Painless Anesthesia Is Replacing the Traditional Syringe
Digital painless anesthesia (CCLAD), in which a computer pushes the anesthetic in slowly at a steady rate, is expanding beyond pediatric dentistry into adult care. Here's what clinical trials comparing it with the traditional syringe show, along with differences between devices.
3 min read
SDF vs. Fluoride Varnish: A Gap Opens in the Power to Stop Cavities
A large clinical trial has found that simply applying a liquid called silver diamine fluoride (SDF) to a cavity can stop its progression. We cover how it compares with fluoride varnish and fillings, along with the side effect of dark tooth staining.
4 min read
Laser Therapy for Peri-Implantitis: The Evidence Is Divided
Research is growing into using lasers or photodynamic therapy instead of antibiotics to treat peri-implantitis. Compared with antibiotics, the results were similar, but older and more recent studies disagree on the laser's own effect.
2 min read
How a Denture Is Made Determines How Easily Its Teeth Come Loose
Denture fabrication is expanding beyond the traditional method of hand-pressing resin into digital methods that 3D-print in layers or mill solid blocks. A recent study that simulated nearly 1.3 million chewing cycles found that although the milling method uses the hardest material, its teeth were actually the most likely to detach from the denture base.
4 min read
3D-Printed Dentures Are Weaker and Collect More Bacteria Than Milled Dentures
Recent studies comparing milled dentures, carved from resin blocks, with 3D-printed dentures, built up layer by layer, show that milling comes out ahead in strength, surface quality, and resistance to bacterial adhesion. Even so, we look at why 3D printing is rapidly gaining ground.
4 min read