Researchers build a better dental implant

Preclinical study demonstrates a new ‘smart’ implant and minimally invasive surgery to better retain feel and function of natural teeth

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tufts University

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From left to right: Study co-authors Subhashis Ghosh, Jake Jinkun Chen, and Siddhartha Das in Chen’s lab at Tufts’ Biomedical Research and Public Health Building.

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Credit: Jenna Schad/Tufts University

Each year, millions of people in the U.S. get dental implants as a long-term, natural-looking fix for missing teeth. But traditional implants don’t fully mimic real teeth.

Researchers from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine recently described a new approach to dental implants that that could better replicate how natural teeth feel and function. Their study, published in Scientific Reports, shows early success with both a “smart” implant and a new gentler surgical technique in rodents.  

“Natural teeth connect to the jawbone through soft tissue rich in nerves, which help sense pressure and texture and guide how we chew and speak. Implants lack that sensory feedback,” says Jake Jinkun Chen, DI09, a professor of periodontology and director of the Division of Oral Biology at the School of Dental Medicine and the senior author on the study.

Traditional dental implants use a titanium post that fuses directly to the jawbone to support a ceramic crown, and the surgery often cuts or damages nearby nerves. To tie these inert pieces of metal into the body’s sensory system, the Tufts team developed an implant wrapped in an innovative biodegradable coating. This coating contains stem cells and a special protein that helps them multiply and turn into nerve tissue. As the coating dissolves during the healing process, it releases the stem cells and protein, fueling the growth of new nerve tissue around the implant.

The coating also contains tiny, rubbery particles that act like memory foam. Compressed so that the implant is smaller than the missing tooth when it’s first inserted, these nanofibers gently expand once in place until the implant snugly fits the socket. This allows for a new minimally invasive procedure that preserves existing nerve endings in the tissue around the implant.

“This new implant and minimally invasive technique should help reconnect nerves, allowing the implant to ‘talk’ to the brain much like a real tooth,” explains Chen. “This breakthrough also could transform other types of bone implants, like those used in hip replacements or fracture repair.”

Six weeks after surgery, the implants stayed firmly in place in rats, with no signs of inflammation or rejection. “Imaging revealed a distinct space between the implant and the bone, suggesting that the implant had been integrated through soft tissue rather than the traditional fusion with the bone,” says Chen. This may restore the nerves around it.

The research was conducted by Chen and School of Dental Medicine faculty Qisheng Tu and Zoe Zhu, as well as postdoctoral scholars Siddhartha Das (lead author) and Subhashis Ghosh at Tufts University School of Medicine.

These initial results are promising, but it will take more studies and time—for example, research in larger animal models to look at outcomes, including safety and efficacy—before trials can begin in human volunteers.

The researchers’ next step will be a preclinical study to see if brain activity confirms that the new nerves surrounding the prototype implant indeed relay sensory information.

Citation: Research reported in this article was supported by the National Institutes of Health under award numbers RO1DK131444, R01DE030074, R01DE025681, and R01DE032006. Complete information on authors, funders, methodology, limitations, and conflicts of interest is available in the published paper. 

Disclaimer: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders.  

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-99923-8 

Toothbrush-shaped ultrasound allows for gum monitoring

 

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Chemical Society

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The toothbrush-shaped ultrasound transducer (left image) features a small head size (right image), allowing easy access to premolars and molars in the back of the mouth.

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Credit: Adapted from ACS Sensors 2025, DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.5c00521

When visiting the dentist, you might remember being poked and prodded by a thin metal instrument to check your teeth and gums. This technique, called periodontal probing, is used to look for signs of gum disease. Now, researchers publishing in ACS Sensors report a toothbrush-shaped ultrasound transducer that can provide a less invasive screening for gum disease. In proof-of-concept demonstrations on animal tissues, the device produced measurements similar to those of a manual probe.

Gum disease is a common condition affecting tissue that surrounds and supports teeth. If left untreated, it causes the gums to pull away from the teeth, creating pockets where harmful bacteria can grow. Currently, manual periodontal probing is the standard way to check for gum disease, but the technique is uncomfortable and can miss early stages. So, Jesse Jokerst and colleagues developed a small, non-invasive ultrasound method capable of imaging teeth and gums — even hard-to-reach molars and premolars at the back of the mouth.

Ultrasounds work by sending sound waves into the body. When the sound waves encounter a structure, like gum tissue or a tooth, they are reflected and detected by a transducer. The transducer then converts the reflected sound waves into an image. Currently, most ultrasound transducers have large heads that are about the same size as a wireless earbuds case. Although they work for larger parts of the body, these transducers cannot access smaller spaces like those in the mouth. Smaller transducers that are about half the length and width of traditional devices are available, but current models have limited image resolution because they are only able to produce and detect low frequencies. To overcome these limitations, the researchers created an even smaller toothbrush-shaped transducer that operates at a higher frequency and can produce high-quality images of teeth and gums.

To test the transducer’s accuracy, the researchers used the new instrument to measure the gum thickness and gum height of pig teeth. Then the researchers repeated the measurements using a manual metal periodontal probe. After analyzing the correlation between the two sets of measurements, the team found that the ultrasound measurements were statistically similar to those of the manual technique. The results support the reliability of the toothbrush-shaped transducer as a less invasive technique for monitoring gum health.

“We designed this tool to meet the realities of clinical dentistry — it is miniaturized, accurate and easy to use. Future work will use this device with patients to image below the gumline, where we will monitor treatments and diagnose earlier to reduce dental pain and help patients keep a healthy smile," says Jokerst.