Focused Ultrasound Therapy
Focused ultrasound is a rapidly evolving, noninvasive, therapeutic technology with the potential to improve the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients in need of dental bonding or other periodontal procedures. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue.
How it Works
Where the beams converge, focused ultrasound produces precise ablation (thermal destruction of tissue) which removes the “smear layer” on the surface of the tooth resulting in a better texture for adhesion to occur. This could enable dental bonding to occur without the need for acid products that are currently in use. This type of periodontal work can take many forms, with the common need for effective adhesion throughout. While significant preclinical work has been accomplished, there is still much to be done before this technology will be widely available.
Advantages
The primary options for dental bonding include the use of acid agents, which also remove desired dental structures. If this happens, the dentist may have to create grooves for bonding, resulting in a decreased amount of tooth that remains.
For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a noninvasive alternative to existing techniques and preserve more of the patient’s tooth. It can also reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue and is repeatable, if necessary.
Clinical Trials
At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for focused ultrasound dental bonding treatments.
Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement
Focused ultrasound treatment for dental bonding is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies.
Notable Papers
Daood U, Aati S, Akram Z, Yee J, Yong C, Parolia A, Lin Seow L, Fawzy AS. Characterization of multiscale interactions between high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and tooth dentin: the effect on matrix-metalloproteinases, bacterial biofilms and biological properties. Biomater Sci. 2021 Jun 30. doi: 10.1039/d1bm00555c.
Daood U, Fawzy AS. Minimally invasive high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) improves dentine remineralization with hydroxyapatite nanorods. Dent Mater. 2020 Jan 30. pii: S0109-5641(20)30005-1. doi: 10.1016/j.dental.2020.01.005.
Fawzy AS, Daood U, Matinlinna JP.Potential of high-intensity focused ultrasound in resin-dentine bonding. Dent Mater. 2019 Apr 16. pii: S0109-5641(18)31394-0. doi: 10.1016/j.dental.2019.04.001.
Daood U, Fawzy AS. Macrophage response and surface analysis of dental cementum after treatment with high intensity focused ultrasound. Arch Oral Biol. 2019 Feb;98:195-203. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2018.10.019. Epub 2018 Nov 19.
Click here for additional references from PubMed.
