Figure 4.

Schematic illustration of the proposed anticaries procedures via restorative dental materials: antibacterial and remineralizing (ion-diffusion process) approaches. (A) The antibacterial approach involves release of nanostructured agents as described in the text. The strong antibacterial action is mainly attributed to the high surface:volume ratio that maximizes contact with the environment. These small particles easily penetrate through cell membranes and affect intracellular processes resulting in higher reactivity and antimicrobial activity. (B) In the remineralizing approach dental materials release calcium and phosphate to the dental plaque fluid present in microgaps between the tooth and restoration. The calcium and phosphate may be deposited into the tooth leading to gain of net mineral. (C) Clinical applicability of nanotechnology-based materials for dental caries management for restoring teeth with cavities. (D) Schematic drawing of a longitudinal section of a restored tooth showing the close contact of dental material with dental tissue. (E) Representative cluster to form amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nanofillers (NACP) with detail of molecular components.