Direct growth of human enamel-like calcium phosphate microstructures on human tooth

Xiaokun Wang, Chunjie Xia, Zhouhao Zhang, Xuliang Deng, Shicheng Wei, Gang Zheng, Haifeng Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dental Enamel is the hardest mineralized tissue in the human body which is comprised of nanorodlike hydroxyapatite crystals arranged into a highly organized micro-architectural unit called an enamel prism. In this paper the direct growth of human enamel-like structures on human tooth using fluorapatite/phosphoric acid pastes is explored. SEM images show that the newly formed calcium phosphate crystals can be self-assembled into a similar ordered microstructure as those seen in human enamel. The mechanism of how these structures form is discussed. This work demonstrates the potential of applying nanotechnology to regenerate dental enamel clinically without cells.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1361-1364
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Volume9
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Calcium phosphate
  • Dental enamel
  • Self-assembly.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • General Chemistry
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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