Project Portugal 2030

Summary

Dental caries begins with enamel damage, progressing to dentin and eventually affecting the pulp. Pulp inflammation arises when dentin is compromised, worsening as the lesion deepens. Hence, accurate diagnosis of the pulp stage, ranging from reversible pulpitis to pulp necrosis, is crucial for making informed therapeutic decisions in cases of dental caries. Presently, treatments for reversible pulpitis that employ biomaterials capable of promoting mineralized tissue formation are relatively successful. However, there is failure in 20% of the cases. Even more relevant, in cases of advanced tooth decay, the condition of the pulpal tissue deteriorates, leading to irreversible pulpitis. This advanced stage of the disease lacks a minimally invasive treatment option, necessitating the complete removal of the pulp tissue. This is followed by its replacement with a synthetic filling material in a procedure known as endodontic treatment, with several associated drawbacks (PANEL 2). The HOPE4PULP project's main objective is to REVERSE these inflammatory processes, which nowadays cannot be reversed. This achieved objective would completely change the paradigm of dental treatments, reducing costs, reducing comorbidities and preserving dental health. For this, HOPE4PULP has the following main goal: To develop a biogel system to release GFs and hAME, promoting anti-inflammatory effects and dental pulp regeneration. As specific objectives, we can list: To evaluate the biogel cytotoxicity and biocompatibility in dental pulp cells (hDPCs) via indirect and direct contact, ensuring safety for dental pulp regeneration. To evaluate biogel's efficacy in reversing severe pulp inflammation by comparing inflammatory status, presence of dentin proteins’ precursors, and formation of mineralized tissue (dentin bridge), demonstrating the potential for irreversible pulpitis treatment. To validate the therapeutic effects of the biogel formulation in treating inflammatory pulp pathology by assessing macro and microstructural characteristics of the dental pulp organ after biogel pre-treatment and pulp capping in an animal model, thus providing additional validation to the results obtained from the human tooth model. To conduct an epidemiological study to determine Portuguese dentists' clinical practices for evaluating and treating pulp pathologies, and their preferences for new biomaterials, offering insights into innovative dental treatments in Portugal. To safeguard the intellectual property of the innovative biogel via national and international patents, gain INFARMED approval with CE marking, share findings with scientific and dental communities, and establish new guidelines for managing irreversible pulpitis, facilitating commercialization and dental care advancements. This way, the expected results of this project will allow establishing a new paradigm in the treatment of inflammatory pulp pathologies, which are currently irreversible: maintaining the vitality of the pulp tissue by reversing intense inflammatory processes; establishing new procedures with minimally invasive treatments; reducing the incidence of odontalgia and anxiety states associated with pain and dental treatments in patients; reducing dental treatment costs; identification of the main strategies and therapeutic results for inflammatory stages of pulp tissue addressed by Portuguese dentists; and protecting the intellectual property of the new biomaterials developed.