Viscoelastic and antimicrobial dental care bioplastic with recyclable life cycle
Medical plastic-appliance-based healthcare services, especially in dentistry, generate tremendous amounts of plastic waste. Given the physiological features of our mouth, it is desirable to substitute dental care plastics with viscoelastic and antimicrobial bioplastics. Herein, we develop a medical-grade and sustainable bioplastic that is viscoelastic enough to align the tooth positions, resists microbial contamination, and exhibits recyclable life cycles. In particular, we devise a molecular template involving entanglement-inducing and antimicrobial groups and prepare a silk fibroin-based dental care bioplastic. The generated compactly entangled structure endows great flexibility, toughness, and viscoelasticity. Therefore, a satisfactory orthodontic outcome is accomplished, as demonstrated by the progressive alignment of male rabbit incisors within the 2.5 mm range. Moreover, the prepared bioplastic exhibits resistance to pathogenic colonization of intraoral microbes such as Streptococcaceae and Veillonellaceae. Because the disentanglement of entangled domains enables selective separation and extraction of the components, the bioplastic can be recycled into a mechanically identical one. The proposed medical-grade and sustainable bioplastic could potentially contribute to a green healthcare future.
Authors
- Sang‐Young Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7153-0517)
- Jae‐Hun Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1046-738X)
- Utkarsh Mangal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8323-9812)
- H. Jeremy Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5857-0055)
- Se Yong Jung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1337-563X)
- Jung‐Yul Cha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8761-3819)
- Jinkee Hong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3243-8536)
- Taesuk Jun
- Du Yeol Ryu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0929-7934)
- Jeong‐Hyun Ryu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7623-0975)
- Jae‐Kook Cha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6906-7209)
- Kee‐Joon Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0782-3128)
- Sung‐Hwan Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1150-0268)
- Milae Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0569-0365)
- Sangmin Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6713-4797)
- Yoojin Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3895-9236)
- Ji‐Yeong Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8920-5170)
- Moonhyun Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9131-5507)
- Woojin Choi
Institutions
- Harvard University (US)
- Yonsei University (KR)
- Yonsei University Health System (KR)
- Yonsei University College of Dentistry
- Chung-Ang University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-10-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53489-7
- Citations
- 9
- Primary Topic
- biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.56
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
- Korea Basic Science Institute
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
- Defense Acquisition Program Administration
- Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology