RESUMEN
A review was done of nanotechnology as it applies to dentistry today. Information was gathered from literature search, research data and material inserts in products.Nanotechnology deals with the physical, chemical and biological properties of structures and their components at nanoscale dimensions. One of the biggest contributionS to restorative and aesthetic dentistry has been nanocomposites. These composites are characterized by filler-particle sizes ≤ 100 nm and offer aesthetic and strength advantages over the current microfilled and hybrid resin-based composites. Nanoparticles for coating implant surfaces and the nanopatterning of dental implants is leading to better osseointegration and improved physiologic functions of implants, while nanophase hydroxyapatite has improved its adaptation into bone graft sites. Nano-biochips are now making oral cancer screening and diagnosis of diseases by saliva easier and more affordable.
RESUMEN
It is not often that the oral and maxillofacial surgeon is faced with the challenge of restoring a defect that involves the entire mandible. The case presented in this article illustrates the management of such a case. Trauma, infection, neoplasm, and congenital malformations can lead to a discontinuous, deficient, or even absent mandible. In planning the reconstruction of a discontinuity of the mandible, the surgeon may need to manage one or more problems, including loss of adequate denture-bearing bone, loss of speech articulation, loss of control of the tongue and masticatory function, xerostomia as a result of the loss of sublingual and submandibular glands, loss of an intact deglutition mechanism, and a loss of facial form.
