This $250,000 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of a smart dental implant system to prevent peri-implant diseases through the University of South Florida from October 1, 2022 to December 31, 2025.
The project aims to build a strategy for preventing peri-implant disease by enhancing soft tissue immunity against bacterial infection near dental implants. It will develop an ambulatory dental care platform utilizing a human oral motion-powered smart dental implant system for targeted low-level light therapy. The system leverages biomechanical energy harvesting and near-contact phototherapy to control onset of peri-implant diseases.
Outcomes include understanding human oral energy harvesting potential, the photon-microbe interaction mechanism in low-level light therapy, and validating the system using a clinically relevant animal model of peri-implantitis. The award reflects the National Science Foundation's mission through the $250k Engineering (47.041) program to foster innovation in engineering research and education.