The ADA Foundation's Anthony Volpe Research Center (VRC) has received a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to develop new resin composite dental fillings.
VRC scientists plan to use the money to research and develop new polymers that are free of bisphenol A (BPA) and not susceptible to enzymatic or hydrolytic degradation, according to the ADA.
The researchers also want to develop self-healing systems that significantly extend the life of composites and formulate smart antibacterial components.
Dentists currently place more than 122 million dental composites annually in the U.S., according to the ADA. But the composites fail on average in less than eight years and must be replaced, often with another dental composite. Current composite filling technology is nearly 50 years old.
The first year's funding is $450,000.
The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry recently got more than $2.4 million in NIDCR grants to explore novel, longer-lasting composites.
