The report highlights the crucial role that polymers, metals, glass, ceramics and composites can play in the multi-disciplinary development of enhanced dental products. The Materials Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) published a roadmap of materials development for the dental industry. Rather than being prescriptive, the roadmap lists sector drivers, enablers and materials solution providers as a means of encouraging readers to make connections and so initiate novel R&D collaborations.
A number of strong themes have emerged with the dental community. For example, there is strong support for developing additive manufacture routes for ceramic/glass-ceramic crowns. Other topics that were frequently mentioned include longer life, self-mineralising fillings, and sensors in the mouth to monitor bacterial levels, soft tissue health etc. The roadmap (available as a hard copy and pdf) is seen as an ongoing development.
The Materials KTN also welcomes further feedback and is committed to issuing subsequent versions of the roadmap to reflect any emerging intelligence.