The Dentist’s Drill to Disappear

On the wire: Plasma jets could one day be used to clean out bacteria from tooth cavities according to researchers from Saarland University in Homburg, Germany, reports BBC News.

Tests reported in the Journal of Medical Microbiology found that, the properties of the plasma are harmful to bacteria, without affecting the surrounding tissue. This has opened up the possibility of using them on the human body, where they could offer a precise way of targeting tiny areas. Normally, a dentist’s drill is used to clean out bacteria from a cavity, before the filling is inserted. The German team used a plasma jet to do the same job and found that it was able to do this quickly and efficiently, even where the bacteria were arranged in resistant biofilms on the dentine, the main part of the tooth under the enamel.

Dr Stefan Rupf, who led the study, said the low temperature killed the microbes while preserving the tooth. He said, “Drilling is a very uncomfortable and sometimes painful experience. Cold plasma, in contrast, is a completely contact-free method that is highly effective.

“Presently, there is huge progress being made in the field of plasma medicine and a clinical treatment for dental cavities can be expected within 3 to 5 years.”

The news report outlines other applications of plasma technology. Professor Bill Graham, a physicist from Queen’s University Belfast, said that plasma medicine had the potential to pick out tiny targets, perhaps even single cells. He said that “plasma scalpels” are already being used in sports medicine to treat collagen problems, and there was great interest in the technology for use in burns patients.

He said, “Obviously, as with any new treatment, we need to check that it can be used safely, but there is no evidence at the moment that there are any problems.”

Tags: Dentistry, Plasma technology