Smart Materials and Nanotechnology

Dentistry Materials

Smart behaviour occurs when a material can sense some stimulus from its environment and react to it in a useful, reliable, reproducible, and reversible manner. These properties have a beneficial application in various fields including dentistry. Materials used in dentistry were designed to be passive and inert, that is, to exhibit little or no interaction with body tissues and fluids. Materials used in the oral cavity were often judged on their ability to survive without interacting with the oral environment. The first inclination that an “active” rather than “passive” material could be attractive in dentistry was the realisation of the benefit of fluoride release from materials.