Innovative applications for therapeutic nanostructures

The applications of nanotechnology in dentistry are vast. They include, but are not limited to, dental diagnostics, preventive dentistry, dental materials, prosthodontics.... The most frequently covered topics (dental nanomaterials) are in the following order: nanocomposites, nanoparticles/nanotubes/nanofibres including silver nanoparticles, antimicrobial materials, (bio)mineralisation and coatings. Therefore, in this review we focus on these topics. Nanostructures can have a wide variety of shapes they also have different compositions, offering a variety of modified properties contributing to innovative applications in dentistry. The main application of nanoparticles in dentistry is their use as fillers in nanocomposites, giving them improved aesthetic properties and the possibility of colour correction. Various nanoparticles and their applications in preventive dentistry are described.