Dental and Biomaterials Science

Spatial degree of polymer conversion measurements (DC) through 1-4 mm thickness of a photocurable dental resin composite using infrared spectroscopy.

Our multidisciplinary group within DBS consists of materials scientists, chemists, cell and molecular biologists and clinical academics that work collectively to develop novel restorative and regenerative biomaterials. A fundamental understanding of the physical and biological behaviour of materials combined with the application of advanced characterisation methods drives our developments towards new materials and technologies for dentistry and other biomedical fields.

Will Palin

Professor Will Palin

Principal Investigator & Group Lead

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Gowsh Poologasundarampillai

Dr Gowsh Poologasundarampillai

Principal Investigator & Group Lead

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Josette Camilleri

Dr Josette Camilleri

Principal Investigator & Group Lead

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Alice Parr

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Mohammad Hadis

Dr Mohammed Hadis

Principal Investigator

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Dick Shelton

Dr Dick Shelton

Principal Investigator & Group lead

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Sarah Kuehne

Dr Sarah Kuehne

Principal Investigator

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Mike Milward

Professor Mike Milward

Principal Investigator

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Katarzyna Gurzawska photo

Dr Katarzyna Gurzawska

Principal Investigtor

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Our research group

Key activities of our group include the development of novel photocurable chemistries within our dedicated optical analytical laboratory. We exploit innovative optoengineering techniques in order to optimise polymerisation reactions and key mechanical and physical material properties for specific dental and biomedical applications. We develop light curable and bioactive resorbable materials and environmentally triggered “smart” materials for dental disease modulation. We also develop and test hydraulic dental cements for endodontic application with a focus towards the development of standardized testing methods and understanding clinical challenges such as the scientific basis of clinical protocols and in vivo material interactions. Our research efforts feed into the curricula of the newly developed postgraduate taught MSc in Dental Materials Science.

A recent new direction involves biofidelic clinical models that are being developed to closely mimic oral anatomy. These models are being used to support undergraduate and postgraduate teaching by enhancing clinical simulation and ultimately delivering improvements in clinical outcomes. This project is a collaboration with Nottingham Trent University with funding from the University of Birmingham Alumni fund.

Biomaterials research for wider medical application includes tissue engineering and regeneration and we are developing platform technologies for hard and soft tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Work includes the development of bioactive glasses and hydrogels that have the potential to be used for stimulating bone formation and healing chronic wounds. Specifically;

  • The development of a new platform of bespoke organic/inorganic hybrid hydrogels, for 3D bioprinting of both, soft and hard tissues. Their preparation is based on a bottom-up approach using ‘soft-chemistry’ sol-gel process under physiologically benign conditions employing novel reagents which demonstrate biocompatibility.
  • Development and optimisation of thermosetting hydrogels suitable for delivering stem cells harvested at birth to treat cleft palate defects and avoid the need for invasive bone graft harvesting.
  • Development of a biomanufacturing platform to address the growing demand for functional tissue grafts and organs for transplantation and drug discovery. Our ambition is to address a major hurdle in 3D bioprinting artificial tissues is the inability to reproduce the blood vessel micro- and macro-architecture. We aim to develop integrated fluidic chip nozzles, based on microfluidic mixers and hydrodynamic flow focusing components to 3D extrusion-printing organic-inorganic hybrid hydrogel-based bioinks to create blood vessels.
  • The production of various compositions of bioactive glasses in the fibrous form for use in oral & maxillofacial applications and in the treatment of acute and chronic wounds, including a novel method to electrospin inorganic fibres directly from sol-gel solutions.
Clinical case showing failure of surgical endodontic therapy; the material at the root-end was retrieved and characterized. The formation of calcium carbonate on the material surface was evident as shown in the X-ray diffractogram.
Clinical case showing failure of surgical endodontic therapy; the material at the root-end was retrieved and characterized. The formation of calcium carbonate on the material surface was evident as shown in the X-ray diffractogram.
The development of a novel biofidelic simulation model for undergraduate and postgraduate dental training.
The development of a novel biofidelic simulation model for undergraduate and postgraduate dental training.
4D imaging of mechanical deformation of electrospun polyhydroxyalkanoates fibres. 3D rendering of small volumes of the P(3HB-co-4HB) fibermats before (a-d) and after deformation (e-h).
4D imaging of mechanical deformation of electrospun polyhydroxyalkanoates fibres. 3D rendering of small volumes of the P(3HB-co-4HB) fibermats before (a-d) and after deformation (e-h).
Electrospun bioactive glass fibres for bone regeneration.
Electrospun bioactive glass fibres for bone regeneration.
3D bioprinting of tissue constructs and impact of shear stress on cell during extrusion.
3D bioprinting of tissue constructs and impact of shear stress on cell during extrusion.

Current projects

BIOWOOL: Fibrous bioactive glass construct for dental bone regeneration in ridge augmentation.
MRC, CiC; Poologasundarampillai G

An agile bio-manufacturing platform for production of blood vasculature.
EPSRC (Adventurous Manufacturing); Poologasundarampillai G

Multi-scale and multi-modal imaging of biomedical materials.
Poologasundarampillai G

Development of injectable resorbable gels for cell delivery in the treatment of cleft lips and palates.
Great Ormond St Hospital; Shelton R

Development of 3D printable resin composites with tooth-like characteristics.
Paar A, Hadis M, Palin W, Poologasundarampillai G, Tomson P

Vertical tooth extraction systems for extraction and surgical extrusion of non-restorable teeth
Abughalia M, Hadis M, Palin W, Dietrich T

Migration of bismuth and silicon ions from endodontic dental materials into connective tissues.
Royal Society; Camilleri J,

Optimising methods for sampling peri-radicular tissue fluid during root canal treatment and identifying inflammatory biomarkers for asymptomatic apical periodontitis.
European Society of Endodontology; Virdee S, Grant M, Camilleri J, Cooper P, Tomson P.

Industry Funded Projects

Investigation of a new pre-mixed root canal sealer.
Septodont (USA); Camilleri J.

The relevance of using alternative cementitious components to hydraulic calcium silicate endodontic materials.
Angelus (Brazil); Camilleri J, Shelton S, Cooper P, Tomson P, Kuehne S.

High energy curing of flowable and bulk fill composites.
Ivoclar-Vivadent (Liechtenstein); Palin W, Hadis M

Polymerisation characteristics and ‘dark’ cure properties of novel dual cure resins.
3M (Germany); Palin W, Hadis M

Spatial cure of resin composite materials
Ivoclar-Vivadent (Liechtenstein); Hadis M, Palin W

Selected publications

  • Verzola KC, Dressano D, Saraceni CHC, Goncalves LS, Hadis M, Watts DC, Palin WM, Lima AF (2020). Bis(4-methyl phenyl)iodonium as an alternative component to diphenyliodonium in camphorquinone-based ternary initiating systems. Dent Mater, 36: 1282-1288.
  • Sirovica S, Guo Y, Guan R, Skoda MWA, Palin WM, Morrell AP, Romanyk DL, Martin RA, Addison O (2020). Photopolymerisation variables influence the structure and subsequent thermal response of dental resin matrices. Dent Mater, 36: 343-352.
  • Slobodan S, Skoda M, Podgórski M, Thompson P, Palin WM, Dewan K, Addison O, Martin R (2019). Polymerisation rate dictates order and intrinsic strain generation in photo-cured methacrylate biomedical polymers. Macromol, 52: 5377-5388.
  • Camilleri J, Borg J, Damidot D, Salvadori E, Pilecki P, Zaslansky P, Darvell BW (2020). Colour and chemical stability of bismuth oxide in dental materials with solutions used in routine clinical practice. PLOS One, 15(11):e0240634.
  • Camilleri J, Arias Moliz T, Bettencourt A, Costa J, Martins F, Rabadijeva D, Rodriguez D, Visai L, Combes C, Farrugia C, Koidis P, Neves C (2020). Standardization of antimicrobial testing of dental devices. Dent Mater, 36: e59-e73
  • Koutroulis A, Kuehne SA, Cooper PR, Camilleri J (2019). The role of calcium ion release on biocompatibility and antimicrobial properties of hydraulic cements. Sci Rep, 13;9:19019.
  • Norris, E., Ramos-Rivera, C., Poologasundarampillai, G., Clark, J.P., Ju, Q., Obata, A., Hanna, J.V., Kasuga, T., Mitchell, C.A., Jell, G. and Jones, J.R. (2020). Electrospinning 3D bioactive glasses for wound healing. Biomed Mater, 15: 015014.
  • Blaeß, C., Müller, R., Poologasundarampillai, G. and Brauer, D.S. (2019). Sintering and concomitant crystallization of bioactive glasses. Int J Appl Glass Sci, 10: 449-462.
  • Nommeots-Nomm, A., Ligorio, C., Bodey, A.J., Cai, B., Jones, J.R., Lee, P.D. and Poologasundarampillai, G. (2019). Four-dimensional imaging and quantification of viscous flow sintering within a 3D printed bioactive glass scaffold using synchrotron X-ray tomography. Mater Today Adv, 2:100011.
  • Birdi-Chouhan G, Shelton RM, Bowen J, Goldberg-Oppenheimer P, Page SJ, Hanna JV, Peacock A, Wright AJ, Grover LM (2016). Soluble silicon patterns and templates: calcium phosphate nanocrystal deposition in collagen type 1.  RSC Advances, 6: 99809-99815.
  • Davies OG, Cooper PR, Shelton RM, Smith AJ & Scheven BA (2015). Isolation of adipose and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells using CD29 and CD90 modifies their capacity for osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. J Tissue Eng, 6: 2041731415592356.
  • Smith JG, Smith AJ, Shelton RM, Cooper PR (2015). Dental pulp cell behaviour in biomimetic environments. J Dent Res, 94: 1552-1559.
  • Davies OG, Cooper PR, Shelton RM, Smith AJ, Scheven BA (2015). A comparison of the in vitro mineralisation and dentinogenic potential of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue, bone marrow and dental pulp. J Bone Min Metab, 33: 371-382.

Patents

  • Hamidi S, Williams R, Grover L, Palin WM. “Tuneable properties of light curable, bioactive, resorbable polymer composite for bone and tooth augmentation”, Patents pending, GB1910896.8, GB1910895.0.

Staff

Principal Investigators

Postdocs

Research Assistant

  • Negin Mosahebi

Students

  • Alice Parr
  • Hesham Mohammed
  • Mohamed Abughalia
  • Francesca Lewns
  • Siyun Liu
  • Sandeep Shirgill
  • Diana Mohammed
  • Satnam Virdee