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Dentists Work With Engineers To Improve Dental Implant Biomaterials

Dentists Work With Engineers To Improve Dental Implant Biomaterials
by Carolina Pickens

Collaboration between two of the University of Illinois at Chicago's premier schools — the College of Dentistry and College of Engineering — has resulted in improved dental implant techniques. This partnership succeeded in refining the structure of collagen to make it suitable for use in dental implant placement.

The College of Dentistry at University of Illinois at Chicago has extensive programs to research and develop new and advanced methods for prosthetic and implant patient care, especially in their Laboratory of Applied Dental Biomaterials and Interfaces. Additionally, the school's College of Engineering strives to further development in all aspects of the subject, from robotics to biotechnology.

Christos Takoudis, Ph.D., the school’s bioengineering and chemical engineering professor, worked on atomic layer deposition (ALD) seven years ago. ALD enables a nanometer-thin layer of metal or metal oxide to be applied to a 2-D or 3-D surface.When Takoudis met Cortini Sukotjo, DDS, Ph.D., they realized ALD's possible developments within the dental field.

They teamed up to develop a method of applying the ALD to a layer of biological material, collagen, to allow for easier implantation with higher rates of success. Collagen, one of the world's oldest and most-used biomaterials, is a protein found in humans and is the substance that holds the body together. Skin, bones and muscles are all composed of collagen, and its depletion can lead to a variety of health complications.

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