A research study on the tooth enamel biomineralization process by the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine researchers can develop unique nanoscale processes for manufacturing biomaterials.
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the findings of the project. Elia Beniash, who serves as associate professor of oral biology at the Pitt School of Dental Medicine, said that dental enamel has high flexibility and hardness and is the extremely mineralized tissue in the body. Its novel structure, which mimics an intricate ceramic microfabric, is the basis of its unique properties.
The researchers detected that amelogenin molecules form higher-order structures by assembling themselves gradually through compact oligomeric building blocks. Amelogenin molecule assemblages steady calcium phosphate nanoparticles, which are the key mineral phase in bone and enamel, and arrange them into a pattern of parallel arrays. Following the arrangement, the nanoparticles couple and crystallize to construct the exceedingly mineralized enamel structure.
Beniash stated that the enamel starts off as an organic gel containing minute mineral crystals. The research team reconstructed the early processes of enamel formation in order to study the function of amelogenin, he said.
Beniash further said that the connection is still not clear but the self-assemble quality of amelogenin plays a vital role in directing the dots known as prenucleation clusters into the highly organized intricate structure. These findings allow the researchers to utilize biologic molecules to develop nanoscale minerals into unique materials that could be used for restorative dentistry and several other technologies, he said.