Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Systematic Approach to Identify Novel Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Molecules from Plants' Extracts and Fractions to Prevent Dental Caries
Published on: March 31, 2021
Patent Landscape Analysis of Dental Caries in Primary Teeth
Zsuzsa Bencze1, Nadine Fraihat2, Orsolya Varga3
1Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Public Health, University of Debrecen, Debrecen 4002, POB 400, Hungary. bencze.zsuzsa@sph.unideb.hu.
Abstract:
Inventions from the field of health research are mostly protected by patents. The main objective of this study is to identify the research and development trends of dental innovations for children, with a special focus on the inventions for dental caries in primary teeth and early childhood caries (ECC) by performing a patent landscape analysis on a global scale with special attention to the role of European countries in patenting activities. A patent landscape analysis is a tool used to identify trends in different areas of innovations. Patents and patent applications were extracted from Orbit Intelligence. The keyword based search process was refined by manual selection and grouped into prevention, treatment and diagnosis categories. The absolute number and legal status of patent families, priority years, priority countries, and assignees were examined. The total number of patents of dental caries in primary teeth was 61. According to the legal status of the patents, 27% are granted, 19% pending and 54% are dead. The earliest patent is from 1931 and the most recent is from 2018. Regarding the field of inventions, 37 patents were identified as prevention, 16 patents were treatment and 8 were diagnostics related. China holds the most patents. The huge burden of dental caries in primary teeth is poorly represented in global research and development. Additionally, inventions in dental caries of the primary dentition from the European Union lagged far behind China and the US, highlighting our insufficient research initiatives and programs.
Related Concept Videos
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
Primary Active Transport
Primary Active Transport
Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots
Primary Distribution
Primary Production

