Au@Ag Nanorods-PDMS Wearable Mouthguard as a Visualized Detection Platform for Screening Dental Caries and Periodontal Diseases.

Abstract

The development of easy-to-use, low-cost, and visualized detection platforms for screening human dental caries and periodontal diseases is in urgent demand. In this work, a Au@Ag nanorods-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (Au@Ag NRs-PDMS) wearable mouthguard, which can visualize the tooth lesion sites through the color change of it at the corresponding locations, is presented. The Au@Ag NRs-PDMS composite exhibits a distinct color response to hydrogen sulfide (H₂ S) gas generated by bacterial decay at the lesion sites. Moreover, the Au@Ag NRs-PDMS mouthguard is demonstrated to own desired mechanical properties, excellent chemical stability, as well as good biocompatibility, and can accurately locate the lesion sites in human oral cavity. These findings suggest that the mouthguard has the potential to be utilized on a large scale to help people self-monitor their oral health in daily life, and treat oral diseases locally.