This blog talks about a project presented by the students of the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, (Faculty of Dental Sciences) at SGT University for its Synergy 2024 Techfest. It presents a novel solution to save rotten teeth from extraction.

Problem Statement

The teeth, when invaded by dental carries, which is the most common disease of the oral cavity, present with blackish stains to cavitations. With all the innovations in dentistry, there is still no treatment available for teeth with very poor prognosis other than full extraction.

Solution

Working on the fundamental concept of conservation and preservation shown to me by my distinguished mentor, I came up with an idea to save the teeth otherwise meant for extraction.

This miracle was put on paper by the collective guidance of mentors and students. While working on the concept of LSTR, i.e., Lesion Sterilization and Tissue Repair, we encountered various double and triple antibiotic paste formulations. These, however, had limited success (around 50%) as seen across literature, while some also had a discolouration disadvantage to their name.

Using propylene glycol and methyl cellulose (macrogol) as carriers, we created a novel antibiotic gel that worked wonderfully well, saving primary as well as permanent teeth. This new formulation is a breakthrough in regenerative dentistry.

Conclusion:

The dream has always been to provide whatever little contribution we can in the field of newer dental materials and endodontics of the 21st century and to achieve an overall healthy community. We thank SGT and the Synergy team for giving us a stage and the resources to do so. This was a learning experience that we will treasure forever.

Project Team:

• PI: Dr. Anushi Mehandiratta
• Co-PIs: Dr. Shalini Garg (Professor, Department of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry) & Dr. Runjhun Pallavi (Associate Professor, SGT College of Pharmacy)
• Students: Dr Prince Rathee & Dr. Lata