NANOPARTİCLES IN DENTISTRY, THEIR APPLICATIONS, AND BIOCOMPATIBILITY

Nano-structured materials have been receiving considerable attention as a results of their unique physical and chemical properties, biological properties, and functionality due to their nano-scale size. metallicbased nano-structured materials have created a new interesting field in all sciences for continuous investigations due to their unique properties. dental materials with antimicrobial activity such as filling materials, cements, sealants, materials for temporary restorations, and adhesives have emerged. their applications have led to development of new practical productions. they show good antimicrobial properties due to their large surface area to volume ratios. they can be used as effective growth inhibitors of various microorganisms. furthermore, nanomaterials can be modified of achieve better efficiency and to facilitate their applications in different fields such as biomaterials and medicine. nanoparticles have been used in dentistry as drug-delivery, caries control and remineralization, management of dentinal hypersensivity, oral biofilm management, periodontal infection, root canal disinfection. however, certain nanoparticles may be toxic to oral and other tissues. the knowledge regarding the possible toxicity of nanotechnology products to human cell is limited. the long-term antibacterial, toxic, physical and clinical effects of nanoparticles on dental biomaterials should be investigated in future studies.