Project Details
Projekt
Protection against dentin erosion: biomodification with natural substances
Applicant
Dr. Anton Schestakow
Subject Area
Dentistry, Oral Surgery
Term
from 2024 to 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547240657
Tooth structure can be lost through different carious and non-carious processes. Of these, dental erosion, the loss of dental hard tissue due to non-bacterial acids, is increasingly prevalent. Lifestyle changes favour dental erosion and pose new challenges for dentistry. Erosion processes differently on the dental hard tissues, enamel and dentin. While the inorganic enamel undergoes superficial demineralization, the erosion of dentin is characterized by a two-phase process. As a result of the high organic content, the dentin is demineralized and the organic collagen network is exposed, which both protects the dentin from further demineralization and enables remineralization. However, the collagen network is lost due to enzymatic and mechanical degradation. A preventive approach is therefore to stabilize the sensitive collagen network by cross-linking. Potential substances of synthetic or natural origin were already identified, with natural substances possessing a favourable side effect profile. The present proposal aims to investigate the impact of natural substances on the stability of the exposed collagen network against enzymatic degradation. Therefore, the collagen will be treated under laboratory conditions with the potential cross-linkers chitosan, cinnamaldehyde, oleuropein aglycone or dialdehyde starch and then degraded enzymatically with collagenases. Water and glutaraldehyde will be used as negative and positive controls, respectively. The protective effect of the substances will be investigated using the hydroxyproline assay, weight loss measurement, FTIR spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. This proposal will be an essential part of developing my research profile and network, to which the reputation of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong, where the study is planned, will contribute. Furthermore, the results will be used for a further proposal to investigate potential substances for the remineralization of dentin under oral conditions.
DFG Programme
WBP Fellowship
International Connection
China (Hong Kong)
