Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026
03:37
Evaluating the Effects of Different Polishing Methods on Color Stability of Dental Restorations in Pediatric Dentistry
Published on: June 6, 2025
468
Polymeric materials and films in dentistry: An overview
Dinesh Rokaya1, Viritpon Srimaneepong1,2, Janak Sapkota3
1Biomaterial and Material for Dental Treatment, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Journal of Advanced Research
|October 27, 2018
Summary
Polymeric materials offer excellent properties for dental applications, including antimicrobial and drug delivery functions. Further clinical studies are needed to establish comprehensive treatment guidelines for their use.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Dental Materials Science
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Polymeric materials (PMs) and polymeric films (PMFs) are increasingly utilized in medicine and dentistry due to their advantageous surface, mechanical, and biological properties.
- Their low cost and ease of processing allow for tailored applications in various fields.
- Specific applications include antimicrobial and drug delivery systems, preventive, restorative, and regenerative therapies, and friction reduction in dentistry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the latest advancements in the application of polymeric materials and films in medicine and dentistry.
- To explore the diversity of polymeric materials and films used in dental applications.
- To analyze the benefits and limitations of these materials in dentistry.
Main Methods:
- A literature review of published articles from 1990 to 2017.
- Databases searched included MEDLINE/PubMed and ScienceDirect.
- Focus on polymeric materials and films for medical and dental applications.
Main Results:
- Polymeric materials and films demonstrate significant potential in various dental applications, such as dental adhesives (acrylic acid copolymers), dental pulp regeneration (polylactic acids), and advanced drug delivery systems (bioactive polymers).
- Most reviewed polymeric materials and films have shown improvements in the biomechanical properties of dental materials.
- The review identified a wide range of polymeric materials and films with diverse applications and analyzed their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Conclusions:
- Polymeric materials and films offer significant benefits for dental applications, enhancing biomechanical properties and enabling advanced therapeutic approaches.
- While promising, further clinical studies are essential to develop robust treatment guidelines for optimal patient care.
- The continued research and development of polymeric materials hold great potential for future innovations in dentistry.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
4.4K
Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
4.4K
01:13Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview
2.6K
Recently, the development of olefin metathesis polymerization advanced the field of polymer synthesis. Simply put, the reorganization of substituents on their double bonds between two olefins in the presence of a catalyst is known as the olefin metathesis reaction. The use of metathesis reaction for polymer synthesis is called olefin metathesis polymerization.
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists of a...
Ruthenium-based Grubbs catalyst is the most commonly used catalyst for olefin metathesis polymerization. Grubbs catalyst consists of a...
2.6K
01:10Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
3.4K
Chain-growth or addition polymerization is successive addition reactions of monomers with a polymer chain. In radical chain-growth polymerization, the reaction proceeds via a free-radical intermediate. The free radical is formed from radical initiators, which spontaneously generate free radicals by homolytic fission. Organic peroxides (such as dibenzoyl peroxide, as shown in Figure 1) or azo compounds are popular radical initiators. A low concentration ratio of radical initiator to monomer is...
3.4K
01:20Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
2.6K
The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...
2.6K
01:17Ziegler–Natta Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
4.0K
Ziegler–Natta polymerization is another form of addition or chain‐growth polymerization used for synthesizing linear polymers over branched polymers. The catalyst used for polymerization is the Ziegler–Natta catalyst, named after Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta, who developed it in 1953. This catalyst is an organometallic complex of titanium tetrachloride and triethyl aluminum, with the active form of the catalyst being an alkyl titanium compound. Using the Ziegler–Natta...
4.0K
01:16Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)
3.2K
Ring-opening metathesis polymerization or ROMP involves strained cycloalkenes as starting materials. The mechanism of ROMP proceeds by reacting cycloalkene with Grubbs catalyst to give metallacyclobutane intermediate which undergoes a ring-opening reaction to form new carbene. The new carbene reacts with another molecule of cycloalkene. Repetition of these steps leads to the formation of an unsaturated open-chain polymer product. All these steps are reversible, however, relieving the ring...
3.2K