‘Nanobots’ Can Now Treat Your Teeth During Root Canals: Study

The Indian Institute of Science located in Bengaluru have developed tiny nanobots to help with Root Canal Treatments. The nanobots can be injected into the teeth to kill bacteria, and can better dental treatment by killing germs deep inside dentinal tubules.

Root Canal Treatments (RCT) are a common technique which by tooth infections are treated by removing the soft tissue that is infected called the pulp. This is done by flushing the tooth with antibiotics or other chemicals to kill the bacteria that has caused the infection.

Researchers at IISC have managed to create nanobots that are made from silicon dioxide and coated with iron which can be controlled by a device that creates a low intensity magnetic field. This new technique and study has been published by the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.

The nanobots have been developed by startup Theranautilus and the technology of the magnetic field allows for the control of the movement of the bots. IISC has said that by manipulating the frequency of the magnetic field, researchers were able to move around the nanobots and get them to penetrate deep layers of the tubules. The tweaking of the magnetic field also creates heat which also kill bacteria nearby.

Researches in the past have also shown that such nanoparticles can trap and move objects using light as well as swim through blood and inside living cells which can also be used to stick strongly to cancer cells, thereby tracking them.

Ambarish Ghosh, Professor at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, who led the studies said, “These studies have shown that they are safe to use in biological tissues. “We are very close to deploying this technology in a clinical setting, which was considered futuristic even three years ago. It is a joy to see how a simple scientific curiosity is shaping into a medical intervention that can impact millions of people in India alone.”