Dayane Oliveira
University of Florida, FL·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career
For over 50 years, dentists have hardened tooth fillings and other restorative materials by shining blue light on them. These materials contain photoinitiators, molecules that start the hardening reaction when they absorb light.
- Fields
Medicine & Clinical Research
Biomedical Engineering
Materials Science
- Topics
dental biomaterials
light-cured materials
photoinitiator
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Aug 2029
What they work on
- Compare temperature changes in pulp and gum tissues during dental restorations cured with blue light versus a new red-light-activated photoinitiator, in an exploratory Phase 1 medical device study.
- Test whether red-light curing reduces inflammatory responses in human pulp and gum tissue compared with blue light, based on the hypothesis that longer wavelengths cause less damage.
- Examine the mechanisms behind pulp and gum responses to red versus blue light in an ex vivo study of human tissue, building on lab data from fibroblasts and odontoblasts.
More about the research
Blue light has drawbacks, though. It generates heat that can burn or shrink the gums and inflame the pulp, the living tissue inside a tooth, sometimes to the point of tissue death. It can also harm gum and pulp cells directly, upsetting their balance of reactive oxygen species, damaging mitochondrial DNA, and breaking down collagen. Red light produces less heat and is known to reduce inflammation and promote cell growth. Until recently, though, no photoinitiator could absorb red light.
Why it matters
Dental patients receiving light-cured fillings risk gum burns, gum recession, and pulp inflammation from the heat and cell effects of blue light. A red-light-activated photoinitiator could make restorative dental treatments safer for patients. If the Phase 1 results support it, red-light curing could move toward wider testing as a gentler alternative to blue light.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
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University of Pennsylvania, PA·Public Health & Epidemiology
Quantify the long-term caries-arresting effect of school-based silver diamine fluoride using CariedAway trial data, including the added benefit of repeat application and whether treating posterior teeth lowers new decay in anterior teeth.
Stella Alimperti
Georgetown University, DC·Biomedical Engineering
Test how implant-derived titanium particles and bacterial LPS weaken gum blood-vessel barriers through TLR4 (a bacterial sensor) and VEGF (a vessel-loosening signal) passed between fibroblasts and endothelial cells, using a 3D gingival microfluidic system.
Li-Hsin Han
Drexel University, PA·Biomedical Engineering
Assess the translation and commercial potential of injectable, light-crosslinkable collagen microribbon scaffolds for knee cartilage repair through I-Corps experiential learning and first-hand study of the industry ecosystem.
The school
University of Florida: 65 labs on PI Pages, $1.3B a year on research, 795 research doctorates a year.
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