Calcium orthophosphates in dentistry

J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2013 Jun;24(6):1335-63. doi: 10.1007/s10856-013-4898-1. Epub 2013 Mar 7.

Abstract

Dental caries, also known as tooth decay or a cavity, remains a major public health problem in the most communities even though the prevalence of disease has decreased since the introduction of fluorides for dental care. Therefore, biomaterials to fill dental defects appear to be necessary to fulfill customers' needs regarding the properties and the processing of the products. Bioceramics and glass-ceramics are widely used for these purposes, as dental inlays, onlays, veneers, crowns or bridges. Calcium orthophosphates belong to bioceramics but they have some specific advantages over other types of bioceramics due to a chemical similarity to the inorganic part of both human and mammalian bones and teeth. Therefore, calcium orthophosphates (both alone and as components of various formulations) are used in dentistry as both dental fillers and implantable scaffolds. This review provides brief information on calcium orthophosphates and describes in details current state-of-the-art on their applications in dentistry and dentistry-related fields. Among the recognized dental specialties, calcium orthophosphates are most frequently used in periodontics; however, the majority of the publications on calcium orthophosphates in dentistry are devoted to unspecified "dental" fields.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium Phosphates / chemical synthesis*
  • Calcium Phosphates / therapeutic use*
  • Dental Caries / therapy*
  • Dental Materials / chemical synthesis*
  • Dental Materials / therapeutic use*
  • Dental Restoration, Permanent / instrumentation*
  • Dental Restoration, Permanent / methods
  • Dental Veneers*
  • Humans

Substances

  • Calcium Phosphates
  • Dental Materials