VARANASI: A team of five researchers—Prof Ajit V Parihar, Prof TP Chaturvedi and Sadhana Swaraj from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), and Prof Pralay Maithi and Sudipta Senapati from IIT-BHU— have been granted a patent by the government of India for the novelty of their idea.
The patent titled “A bioactive glass as an orthodontic adhesive and a method of production thereof” has been granted to the researchers 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.
Prof Chaturvedi said one of the major problems that arise after an orthodontic aligning is that sometimes the teeth become prone to caries (development of white spot lesions or cavity) because of the inaccessibility to clean a surface when the treatment is underway. As people undergo treatment, which continues for months, maintaining hygiene of all the areas in and around the teeth becomes difficult which leads to growth of bacteria. This results in demineralization of teeth, resulting in teeth losing their natural shine or colour, even if they are in proper shape.
He said the researchers from BHU and 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.
According to him, prevention of white spot lesions is of greater importance than treatment of the same for 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 the bracket has anti-bacterial activity and also helps reduce the acidic environment in the oral cavity, thereby further reducing the chance of caries.
The patent titled “A bioactive glass as an orthodontic adhesive and a method of production thereof” has been granted to the researchers 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.
Prof Chaturvedi said one of the major problems that arise after an orthodontic aligning is that sometimes the teeth become prone to caries (development of white spot lesions or cavity) because of the inaccessibility to clean a surface when the treatment is underway. As people undergo treatment, which continues for months, maintaining hygiene of all the areas in and around the teeth becomes difficult which leads to growth of bacteria. This results in demineralization of teeth, resulting in teeth losing their natural shine or colour, even if they are in proper shape.
He said the researchers from BHU and 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.
According to him, prevention of white spot lesions is of greater importance than treatment of the same for 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 the bracket has anti-bacterial activity and also helps reduce the acidic environment in the oral cavity, thereby further reducing the chance of caries.