Nanotechnology in Restorative Dentistry

Nanodentistry faces many significant challenges in bringing its promises to fruition. Basic engineering problems run the gamut from the precise positioning and assembly of molecular-scale parts, to economical nanorobot mass production techniques, to biocompatibility and the simultaneous coordination of the activities oflarge numbers of independent micron-scale robots. There are larger social issues of public acceptance, ethics, regulation and human safety that must be addressed before molecular nanotechnology can enter the modern medical armamentarium. But there are equally powerful motivations to surmount these various challenges, such as the vision that the 80% of the world's population that currently receives no significant dental care could enjoy a similar level of oral health to which citizens of the industrialized nations are already accustomed.