Green tea could prevent tooth hypersensitivity
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- Published: Thursday, 10 August 2017 08:31
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Researchers have say that they have now developed a new material to better protect sensitive teeth, using green tea polyphenols. A team of scientists, led by Dr. Cui Huang, of Wuhan University in China, have tried to explore alternatives to conventional therapies. The study has been published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Currently available treatments are based on the occlusion, or closing, of these microtubules using a material called nanohydroxyapatite. However, this material is neither resistant enough nor able to block bacteria from penetrating it.
The researchers set out to create a ‘versatile biomaterial’ using the traditional material nanohydroxyapatite but adding a key ingredient: a compound found in green tea.
The compound is called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (ECGC), and it is the most active polyphenol in green tea. The scientists encapsulated this mix into so-called mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN). As the authors explain, they chose MSNs because they have been shown to have unique resistance to harmful, cavity-inducing acid, as well as demonstrating a ‘superior mechanical strength’. Dr. Huang and colleagues are hopeful that this material will successfully treat tooth sensitivity.
The article can be found at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsami.7b06597
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