Category: Laboratory Research
Category Award: Junior Scientist
Ecologically Friendly Constituents in Materials Used in Minimally Invasive Dentistry
Deniz Özkuyucua*(denizozk98@hotmail.com) | Mutlu Özcanb
aIstanbul Kent University, Istanbul, Türkiye
bUniversity of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Objectives: To investigate on the level of incorporation of ecologically friendly constituents in materials used in minimally invasive dentistry.
Methods: The composition of different dental materials and instruments (N=34) used in minimally invasive dentistry from various (N=17) distinct global dental manufacturers were analyzed and listed after studying their corresponding Material Safety Sheet Data (MSDS). To conduct economic estimates between the use of chemicals and natural products, the internet market shares of numerous products of dental companies (N=30) were evaluated. Furthermore, articles reporting on composition of materials, instruments and devices were selected using PubMed/Medline, Scopus search engines published between 1950-2021. Materials used in minimally invasive dentistry were categorized as instruments, chemicals, and devices. The compositions and the costs of the conventional and ecological alternatives for each material were identified.
Results: A total of 8 articles on the overview of materials used in minimally invasive dentistry and 46 articles on the subject of sustainability were evaluated in classifying the materials, instruments and devices used in minimally invasive dentistry. Out of 17 dental manufacturers, 8 lacked an ecological policy while 13 of them included ecological products or programs in their product assortment. Only 9 of them integrated entirely ecological products or programs.
Conclusion: By raising the demand and awareness, it is vital to improve the diversity of ecological materials and to bring economic solutions in dentistry. By promoting awareness among patients, physicians, consumers, and manufacturers, the use of ecologically friendly constituents in minimally invasive dentistry could be promoted. Yet, economical aspects of this approach need further investigation and more innovation in natural products.
Funding/Conflict of Interest: There are no outside funding sources. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Keywords: dental materials, ecology
