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Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa No. 1, 2018

Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 1/2018 NEWS 35 Biofilm research could help advance dentistry By DTI MUNICH, Germany: According to experts, biofilms are generally re- garded as a problem to be eradicated due to the threats they pose to hu- mans and materials. However, new research out of Germany suggests that communities of algae, fungi or bacteria possess interesting proper- ties from both a scientific and tech- nical perspective. These properties could result in the improved crea- tion of structural templates, includ- ing materials for teeth. All natural materials (whether wood, bone, mother of pearl or teeth) have been optimised by evolution over millions of years, based on the prin- ciple of adapted stability with the lowest possible weight where nature provides the blueprints for many technical developments. However, reverse-engineering replicas cannot reproduce the structural complexity of the original material in nature. “In nature, we find many materials with properties that artificial materi- als are unable to replicate in the exact same fashion,” said Prof. Cordt Zollf- rank, who, together with his team, researches basic scientific principles for the development of new materi- als at the Chair of Biogenic Polymers at the TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability. Zollfrank and his team of research- ers have now presented a series of procedures in biology that use light, heat, specially-prepared substrates and other stimuli to guide the direc- tion of the movement of microor- ganisms along very specific paths. “These biological findings for con- trolling microbes via targeted stim- uli will shape the future of material research,” said Zollfrank. According to the paper, the findings make it possible to create tailor-made tem- plates for new materials with natural structures from the microbes them- selves, or their secretions. “With our article, we want to show the direction this journey will take us in the field of biologically inspired material sci- ence,” Zollfrank continued. Following on from the paper, and as part of a Reinhart Koselleck pro- ject of the German Research Foun- dation (DFG), scientists are already using the technology to a certain point. Taking advantage of the spe- cial properties of red algae, which secrete chains from sugar molecules and whose direction of movement depends on exposure to light, scien- tists are projecting light patterns that change into the growing medium of the algae over time—using them to create long, fine polymer threads that serve as customised templates for the manufacturing of functional ceramics. The paper, titled “A perspective on bio-mediated material structuring” was published on 27 November in the Advanced Materials journal. New research suggests that algae, fungi and bacteria possess interesting properties, from both a scientific and technical perspective, which could help improve the creation of structural templates and the development of dental materials (Photoraph: Shutterstock/By sangriana) N 0 1 D S O D 6 V I S I T U N A T S DRIVING DIAGNOSTIC EXCELLENCE IS MORE THAN WHAT WE DO IT´S IN OUR DNA 2014: CS 8100 3D Carestream Dental 1960s: Dental X-ray Unit Trophy Radiologie WORKFLOW INTEGRATION I HUMANIZED TECHNOLOGY I DIAGNOSTIC EXCELLENCE Carestream Dental. Now 100% Digital. Carestream Dental may be a new dental digital company, it has a long history of defining imaging and practice management technology. Strong legacy brands—which include Eastman Kodak, Trophy and PracticeWorks—have paved the way to bring dental workflows into the new realm of digitalisation. And, as an independent company solely focused on the oral healthcare market, Carestream Dental will continue to drive innovation and deliver new solutions for practices. From consultation to final treatment, we have the solution that’s right for you. © Carestream Health, Inc. 2018. Kodak is a trademark of Eastman Kodak Company. For more information visit carestreamdental.com

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