Innovative “SMART” material for pain-free, drill-free dental treatment in children
UCL/UCLH investigators led by Professors Young and Ashley have developed an innovative dental material for fillings that is set to revolutionise the treatment of tooth decay in children. In collaboration with industry partners and an international multidisciplinary team they have developed, patented and tested a revolutionary material that enables painless tooth restoration in less than 5 minutes.
Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most common disease affecting humans (60-90% of children and 100% of adults) and a global public health problem. It causes severe pain, infection and reduced quality of life in people of all ages; in the UK it is the most common reason for children to be admitted to hospital. Treatment of tooth decay is particularly challenging in children as it involves removal of the diseased tissue (drilling) and tooth repair (placing a filling material), a painful and lengthy procedure requiring local anaesthetic(1). Despite a very high NHS bill (£3.4 billion each year), treating tooth decay is hampered by the limited lifespan of fillings, and decay often recurs. An effective, non-invasive sealing-in material could revolutionize treatment of tooth decay, especially in children.
SMART (Self-adhesive Material for Atraumatic Restoration of Teeth) was developed following consultations with patient groups, clinicians, industry, and regulatory advisors. Professors Young and Ashley secured NIHR funding (£970K, 2015) to finalise their pre-clinical work and additional support from industry and UCLH BRC led to a 2019 first-in-human clinical trial(2) of their patented material. The trial demonstrated that in less than five minutes SMART can be applied and penetrate decayed tooth structures. SMART sets quickly following blue light exposure, halting disease and restoring original tooth appearance and strength. SMART is antibacterial and can encourage natural tooth self-protection mechanisms(3).
The team is running a Phase II trial to obtain CE marking and progress towards bringing SMART into clinics. Work has also begun on extending SMART’s use to other applications in adult dental treatment, especially in high-risk care home residents, and as a cement alternative in orthopaedics. Due to its simplified procedure, high efficacy and reduced costs, benefits of SMART in less affluent countries, where access to dental facilities and expertise is limited or unaffordable, would be especially significant.
References:
- Delgado AHS et al. Dent Mater, 2021
- Alkhouri et al. World Biomaterials Conference Abstract, 2020
- Yaghmoor RB et al. J Funct Biomater, 2020
