English

Abstract

Oral cavity contains numerous microorganisms. Among them, some are pathogenic and cause infections. Hence to control and prevent such infections, a lot of research has been conducted on different materials using various advanced techniques. Nanotechnology and nanoscience have emerged in the recent years exploring the antimicrobial effects of metal nanoparticles. Metal oxide nanoparticles have shown good results against microorganisms. Distinct physical, chemical and biologic properties of metallic oxide nanoparticles make them efficient antimicrobial agents. Both the size and high surface to volume ratio have been considered as the reason for their microbicidal efficacy. Metallic oxide nanoparticles show high durability and less cell toxicity compared to organic nanoparticles. And this positive response of metallic oxide nanoparticles make their use in medical and dental fields more promising. Most of the infections of oral cavity are fungal, bacterial or viral. In dentistry, microorganisms are believed to cause failures of many treatment by causing infections. To achieve a long-term success of treatment rendered, various possibilities have been studied. Application of this nanotechnology in dentistry termed as nano dentistry, has brought many effective changes in the control of oral infections as well as changes in the dental materials. Various metallic nanoparticles like silver nanoparticles, zinc oxide nanoparticles etc., have been used as well as modified in order to apply in dentistry. Many researches have been carried out by incorporating metallic oxide nanoparticles with dental materials which have shown excellent antimicrobial effectiveness. This review focuses on metal and metallic oxide nanoparticles and their effectiveness as antimicrobials and their various applications in dental field. KEY WORDS Nanoparticles, Antimicrobials, Metallic Oxides, Dental Materials, Dentistry