Abstract
The success of modern dental treatment is strongly dependent on the materials used both temporarily and permanently. Among all dental materials, polymers are a very important class with a wide spectrum of applications. This review aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the recent advances in the field of natural polymers used to maintain or restore oral health. It focuses on the properties of the most common proteins and polysaccharides of natural origin in terms of meeting the specific biological requirements in the increasingly demanding field of modern dentistry. The use of naturally derived polymers in different dental specialties for preventive and therapeutic purposes has been discussed. The major fields of application cover caries and the management of periodontal diseases, the fabrication of membranes and scaffolds for the regeneration of dental structures, the manufacturing of oral appliances and dentures as well as providing systems for oral drug delivery. This paper also includes a comparative characteristic of natural and synthetic dental polymers. Finally, the current review highlights new perspectives, possible future advancements, as well as challenges that may be encountered by researchers in the field of dental applications of polymers of natural origin.
Highlights
Due to the remarkable technological development of material science that occurred in the past 30 years, both natural and synthetic biomaterials are an indispensable part of modern medicine
The polymeric materials most commonly used in dentistry include poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), vulcanite, celluloid, phenol formaldehyde and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
The development of new strategies of both oral health maintenance and oral diseases treatment is strongly related to advancement in a field of biomaterials
Summary
Due to the remarkable technological development of material science that occurred in the past 30 years, both natural and synthetic biomaterials are an indispensable part of modern medicine. They could be used to repair or replace defective organs [1]. The polymeric materials most commonly used in dentistry include poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), vulcanite, celluloid, phenol formaldehyde and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). They are used for manufacturing complete and partial dentures and could be added to denture soft liners, sealants and resin cements [4,5,6]
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