Applications of Nanotechnology in Dentistry: A Review

Objective: Maintaining the health of oral tissues is a major goal in dentistry. However, limitations in dental materials, instruments, procedures and medications prevent achievement of this goal. Advances in nanotechnology have paved the way to approach this goal. This study reviews the advances on nanotechnology in dentistry. Review of Literatures: In this review study, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Medline and Cochrane databases were searched for relevant English and Farsi papers from 1981 to 2013. The searched key words were: “nano-characterization”, “antimicrobial agent”, “nano-dentistry”, “nanotechnology”, “nanoparticles”, and “nano-medicine”. Conclusion: Studies indicated extensive applications of nanotechnology in various fields of dentistry such as prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Use of nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents in conjunction with other oral hygiene tools such as toothpastes may prevent many oral and dental conditions. Also, application of nanostructures enables faster and easier detection of oral cancers and assessment of the saliva for presence of viruses, proteins or specific markers. Last but not least, nano-capsules, nano-coatings and nano-antibiotics enable more efficient treatments.