Mobile Nanobots for Prevention of Root Canal Treatment Failure

Millions of root canal treatments fail worldwide due to remnant bacteria deep in the dentinal tubules located within the dentine tissue of human teeth. The complex and narrow geometry of the tubules renders current techniques relying on passive diffusion of antibacterial agents ineffective. Here, the potential of actively maneuvered nanobots is investigated to disinfect dentinal tubules, which can be incorporated during a standard root canal procedure. It is demonstrated that magnetically driven nanobots can reach the depths of the tubules not possible with current clinical practices. Subtle alterations of the magnetic drive allow both deep implantations of the nanobots isotopically distributed throughout the dentine and spatially controlled recovery from selected regions, further supported by numerical simulations. Finally, the integration of bactericidal therapeutic modality with the nanobots is demonstrated, thereby validating the tremendous potential of nanobots in dentistry and nanomedicine in general.