The dental industry has long used amalgam fillings despite health concerns due to lack of better alternatives. However, that is set to change in the following a new federal funding for the development of new-age fillings.
On Monday, a US-based dental institute, ADA Forsyth Institute (AFI), announced that it had secured $6.2 million in federal financing to develop new-generation applications for dental filling.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) awarded the funds to help the institution advance the development of smart dental restoration materials for the next five years.
Under the project, AFI will create advanced dental composites with antimicrobial and self-healing properties. The composite materials include nanofillers capable of responding to users’ biological signals and adapting to their oral conditions.
Ben Wu, AFI’s chief scientific officer and Chief Operating Officer, stated that the funding was the first step in leveraging deep learning and artificial intelligence to fuel research in integrating data-driven simulations and physics-backed models in developing mental health solutions.
AFI is also collaborating with a technology firm developing a digital twin, Optimuos, to design AI-powered solutions for dental materials to replace the widely used amalgam.
Revolutionizing Dentistry with Smart Fillings
AFI’s new-generation smart filling is set to revolutionize the future of dental restoration by providing safer and more adaptive composite materials to replace the long-used amalgam, which is being phased out due to health concerns as it contains mercury.
