VARANASI : Someone had rightly said that smile is a curve that sets everything straight. Orthodontists play a very important role in literally bringing smiles to people as they treat various problems and issues faced by them including malalignment of teeth. Bracing is a common way of treating malalignment, however, it has its own set of challenges. One of the major problems that arise after an orthodontic aligning is that sometimes teeth become prone to caries (Development of White spot lesions, in other words cavity) because of the inaccessibility to clean a surface when the treatment is ongoing. As people undergo treatment, which goes on for months, maintaining hygiene of all the areas in and around teeth becomes difficult which leads to growth of bacteria. This results in demineralization of teeth, hence, teeth losing their natural shine or color, even if they are in proper shape.
Researchers from BHU & IIT-BHU came up with a novel solution to the challenge. They have formulated a process by which the anti-caries activity (re-mineralisation potential) is ingrained in the orthodontic adhesive used to bond the bracket to the tooth surface. The prevention of White Spot Lesions is of greater importance than treatment of the same for the longevity of the teeth. The incorporation of bioactive glass (BAG) into a biocompatible resin actively protects incipient lesions through the release of Ca 2+ and PO 3- ions (Calcium and Phosphorus) to areas adjacent to orthodontic brackets. The Ca 2+ and PO 4 3- ions released, form a uniform layer of Ca-P on the surface of enamel. This layer of material when added to bracket has anti-bacterial activity and also helps in reducing the acidic environment in oral cavity, thus further reducing the chance of caries.
The team of researchers comprising Prof. Ajit V. Parihar, Prof. T. P. Chaturvedi, Sadhana Swaraj from Banaras Hindu University, and Prof. Pralay Maithi and Sudipta Senapati from IIT-BHU, have been granted a patent by the government of India for the novelty of the idea. The patent titled “A BIOACTIVE GLASS AS AN ORTHODONTIC ADHESIVE AND A METHOD OF PRODUCTION THEREOF” has been granted for a duration of 20 years. The researchers are now working on further stages of making this adhesive usable for treatment of patients and making it commercially viable.
