Bioactive glasses for the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity

牙本质过敏（“牙齿敏感”）是一种常见的临床症状，导致剧烈疼痛，大约有一半的成年人受到影响。主要原因是由于牙周病（如牙龈炎）或饮食（如酸性食物和饮料）造成的牙釉质损失，这暴露了潜在的牙本质层，身体无法修复。目前的治疗方法要么通过使根神经脱敏来掩盖潜在的问题，要么需要较长的治疗时间才能在牙本质表面形成保护层。我们已经发明了一种新的平台技术，以生物活性玻璃的形式，可以快速转化为骨样矿物质（例如，牙釉质），速度比目前商用的生物活性玻璃快25倍以上。这种快速的转换时间将潜在地转化为患者的快速过敏缓解。在这个项目中，我们建议通过检查加工的可扩展性来推进这项技术作为商业上可行的产品，并开发一种包含我们的生物活性玻璃的原型牙膏，用于办公室治疗敏感性。我们将与加拿大施乐研究中心合作，在将实验室规模的材料推向商业规模方面拥有广泛的专业知识。此外，我们将开发和测试粘贴。这些目标的完成将创造一种产品，可以迅速缓解牙齿敏感。我们的最终目标是建立一家加拿大初创公司，作为生物活性玻璃制造商，将用于许多生物医学应用，包括牙科领域，并将直接提高加拿大人的生活质量。

Dentin Hypersensitivity ("tooth sensitivity") is a common clinical condition that results in sharp pain and affects about half the adult population. The main cause is due to enamel loss, either through to periodontal disease (e.g., gingivitis) or through diet (e.g., acidic foods and drinks), which exposes the underlying dentin layer and cannot be repaired by the body. Current treatment methods either mask the underlying problem through desensitizing the root nerves or require long treatment times to form a protected layer on the dentin surface.We have invented a novel platform technology, in the form of a bioactive glass, that can rapidly convert to bone-like mineral (e.g., enamel) at a rate of over 25 times faster than the current, commercially used bioactive glasses. This rapid conversion time will potentially translate into rapid hypersensitivity relief for the patient.In this project, we propose to advance this technology as a commercially viable product by examining the scalability of the processing as well as develop a prototype dental paste incorporating our bioactive glass for use in in-office treatment of sensitivity. We will work in collaboration with the Xerox Research Center of Canada with extensive expertise in bringing laboratory scale materials to a commercial scale. Additionally, we will develop and test the paste. Completion of these goals will create a product that can rapidly relieve tooth sensitivity.Our ultimate aim is to establish a Canadian start-up company as a bioactive glass manufacturer that will be used in a number of biomedical applications, including the dental field and will directly improve the quality of Canadian lives.