The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) has awarded Louisiana State University (LSU) Health New Orleans School of Dentistry a five-year, $2.5 million grant to develop stronger, longer-lasting dental filling materials with antibacterial properties that inhibit biofilm formation.
Xiaoming Xu, PhD, a professor and head of the division of biomaterials at the dental school, is the principal investigator for the research. The grant will support the further development of the antibacterial fluoride-releasing dental composites, bonding agents, and sealants on which his research group has already been working. The new materials may also be used in other dental products, such as crowns and cement.
