Currently, the primary solution for maintaining the teeth of patients who have experienced trauma or deep decay that has caused a root canal infection is endodontic treatment. However, Gutta-Percha, the material most commonly used in these procedures, does not have an optimal ability to adhere to dental tissue.

 Therefore, our team, consisting of Román Pérez, Bárbara Giordano, Fernando Durán-Sindreu and José Antonio González, researchers from the Endodontics area in the Faculty of Dentistry and the Bioengineering Institute of Technology at UIC Barcelona, carried out a study seeking improvements to Gutta-Percha. The main objective is to improve the seal and adhesion of this material to dental tissue, thus improving the prognosis for the tooth. 

“Among the different options we are investigating including a new design for sealing material, we believe that bioactive elements are a promising strategy to improve endodontic treatment,” said the study authors. “Due to their chemical characteristics and composition, they could provide Gutta-Percha with greater adhesion, biocompatibility and the possibility of being used as a drug delivery system.” 

This project, funded by FEDER OTRIS, led to one of six patent applications presented by UIC Barcelona in 2020.