CalBot medical device that permanently closes tooth tubules using nanorobots, thus eliminating hypersensitivity in the long term, is developed by Indian scientists.

Some 4 million people have issues when it comes to tooth sensitivity, and it makes even day-to-day food and drink unpleasant to ingest. The most recent novelty that holds promises of long-term reprieve has been a medical device developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), and the team reported their findings in the journal Science Advances.

This use of nanoscale robots is called CalBot because it is comprised of nanoparticles of magnetic iron oxide to which has been added a calcium-silicate-based bioceramic material. Under light guidance by an external magnetic field, the CalBots enter microscopic tubules in the dentin layer of the teeth and aggregate to make cement-like plugs. These plugs mimic the safeguarding process of enamel, stopping any total of hot, cold, or acidic causes from spawning discomfort.

This is a medical device as opposed to desensitizing toothpastes which offer temporary relief only. Experiments to test the CalBots on retrieved human teeth in the laboratory indicated they create stable plugs only within 20 minutes. Additional experiments on the sensitivity of teeth in mice confirmed that after treatment, the experimental subjects began to drink cold water, indicating a significant reduction in discomfort.

According to researchers, this medical product may revolutionize oral healthcare by offering a lasting hypersensitivity medication. The results offer hope, perhaps, as Prof. Ambarish Ghosh of CeNSE observed in his research paper, that nanorobotics will change the future of healthcare.