Scientists have discovered that diamonds on a much, much smaller scale than those used in jewellery could be used to promote bone growth and the durability of dental implants.
Instead of the types of diamonds used for rings and necklaces, researchers are proposing that nanodiamonds are used in dentistry. Nanodiamonds, which are created as byproducts of conventional mining and refining operations, are approximately four to five nanometers in diameter and are shaped like tiny soccer balls.
Nanodiamonds not only seem to provide stronger dental implants, they also appear to improve bone growth and combat osteonecrosis, a potentially debilitating disease in which bones break down due to reduced blood flow.
During typical bone repair operations dentists insert a sponge through invasive surgery to locally administer proteins that promote bone growth, such as bone morphogenic protein (a group of growth factors). New research suggests that using nanodiamonds to deliver these proteins has the potential to be more effective than the conventional approaches. The unique surface of the diamonds allows the proteins to be delivered more slowly, which may allow the affected area to be treated for a longer period of time.
The new discovery serves as a foundation for the future of nanotechnology in dentistry, orthopedics and other domains in medicine. Nanodiamonds have the potential to impact several other facets of oral, maxillofacial, and orthopedic surgery, as well as regenerative medicine.
The study was carried out at the UCLA School of Dentistry. The findings have been published in the Journal of Dental Research, in a paper titled “Multi-protein Delivery by Nanodiamonds Promotes Bone Formation”.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/health/are-diamond-dental-implants-the-future/article/384762
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