The ADA Forsyth Institute (AFI) has received a $6.2 million grant from the National Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Funded by the highly competitive RM1 mechanism, this five-year award will support a pioneering project to develop next-generation smart materials for dental fillings using physics-based artificial intelligence (AI). This innovation marks one of the first applications of artificial intelligence for basic oral health research, with the aim of speeding up the testing and development process.
Next generation smart hardware
The new dental composite will have self-healing and antimicrobial properties, incorporating nanofillers that react to biological signals. “Imagine that a crack develops in the filler,” said biomaterials expert Jirun Sun, PhD, the contact principal investigator (PI) leading the multi-PI team.
“The material will detect that change and repair the crack. Or if your mouth has too much acid that lowers the pH, which is known to break down traditional composites and tooth structure, the material will neutralize the acid. The smart material will respond to the changing conditions in the mouth of each individual patient.”
Interdisciplinary effort to maximize AI potential
The interdisciplinary team of scientists will integrate experiments with a physics-based test model and data-driven simulations as part of the design and material evaluation of these complex and dynamic materials. The AFI team partnered with Optimuos, a digital engineering company specializing in digital twin technologies, to build the AI-based solution.
Without this approach, the number of parameters we need to check would take decades to complete. Integrating artificial intelligence and virtual lab simulations into the physical material development process, based on the well-defined laws of physics and chemistry, will accelerate our goal of transforming personalized dental care.”
Dr. Jirun Sun, PhD, contact principal investigator
Ben Wu, DDS, PhD, AFI’s Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer, highlighted the broader implications of the project. “This grant is the first step in leveraging artificial intelligence and deep learning to facilitate and accelerate research. This approach can be applied to other innovative cutting-edge research at AFI, from managing drug-resistant biofilm to abnormal host immune response and more Our institute is well positioned to leverage new tools in bioengineering, artificial intelligence and data science to accelerate discovery and impact oral health.”
Applications in dentistry
The new material will be optimized to provide a viable replacement for amalgam, a cost-effective and durable solution that is being phased out around the world. Although alternative filling restorative materials are currently available, they may need to be replaced more frequently and may be more expensive to use. Scientists are designing these new materials to be easy to use and accessible to everyone.
“AFI scientists are not just creating something more durable, they are creating an entirely different generation of dental composites,” said Dr. Raymond Cohlmia, Executive Director of the American Dental Association (ADA) and Chairman of the AFI Board of Directors. “This smart material could revolutionize dental care and dramatically improve patient outcomes. The future of dental restorations—and more—is happening now. I’m so proud that AFI is at the forefront.”
Together with Dr. Sun in this exciting, multi-award PI are Drs. Felicitas Bidlack, Yulong Zhang, Xuesong He and Ben Wu from AFI. Dr. Leyla Mirmomen, CEO of Optimuos. and Dr. Pirouz Kavehpour, Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Chief Scientist at Optimuos.
