BHU, IIT BHU researchers get patent for developing new adhesive in treating malaligned teeth

NEW DELHI: Researchers from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) BHU have been granted a patent by the government of India for formulating a process for developing a new adhesive in treating malaligned teeth. The patent titled “A Bioactive Glass As An Orthodontic Adhesive And A Method Of Production Thereof” has been granted for a duration of 20 years.

The team of researchers comprising Ajit V Parihar, T P Chaturvedi, Sadhana Swaraj from BHU and Pralay Maithi and Sudipta Senapati from IIT-BHU are now working on further stages of making this adhesive usable for treatment of patients and making it commercially viable.

Also Read | How to learn outside classrooms through internships, workshops, community service

Saying that bracing is a common way of treating malalignment, a BHU statement said: “One of the major problems that arise after an orthodontic aligning is that sometimes teeth become prone to caries (Development of White spot lesions, in other words cavity) because of the inaccessibility to clean a surface when the treatment is ongoing.”

Also Read | NEP 2020: Missing VCs, funds-shortage, Aadhaar issues at central universities delay implementation

As people undergo treatment, it added, which goes on for months, maintaining hygiene of all the areas in and around teeth becomes difficult which leads to growth of bacteria. This results in demineralization of teeth, hence, teeth losing their natural shine or color, even if they are in proper shape, the university said.

The BHU and IIT BHU researchers have formulated a process by which the anti-caries activity (re-mineralisation potential) is ingrained in the orthodontic adhesive used to bond the bracket to the tooth surface.