NANOTECHNOLOGY IN DENTISTRY

Nanotechnology is defined as the study development and application of extremely small (which is about 1-100 nm) materials devices and systems exhibiting physical chemical and biological properties that are different from those found on a larger scale (Dunn et al. 2002). The other name of this technology is reported as molecular nanotechnology or molecular engineering (Drexler 1992).The term 'nanotechnology' was coined and popularized by Prof. Kerie E Drexler in 1977.Nanoscale is sometimes also used for materials smaller than1 µm. Nanotechnology in dentistry encompasses several domains including diagnostic nanodevices nanomaterials for restorative and preventive care drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. Nanodiagnostics employ nanosensors quantum dots and lab-on-a-chip systems that enable rapid detection of oral diseases such as caries periodontitis and oral cancer at the molecular level often before clinical symptoms appear.