Reminova, a new King's spin-out, will do away with cavities.
King’s College London (KCL) is spinning out a new company, Reminova, which will stop dental decay. It is the first spin-out from the King’s College London Dental Innovation and Translation Centre, launched in January 2013.
Dental caries, which affects 2.3 billion people every year, is one of the most common preventable diseases. Until now, however, it was not possible to reverse tooth decay once it has begun. The decay happens through several stages, starting as a microscopic defect where minerals leach out of tooth. Minerals continue to move in and out of the tooth in a natural cycle, but when too much mineral is lost, the enamel is undermined and the tooth is said to have developed a caries lesion. If left untreated, this eventually becomes a cavity. Currently, the only treatment available is a painful drilling of the tooth to remove the decay and fill it with amalgam or composite resin.
Reminova’s technology is the holy grail of dentistry, a breakthrough that the industry has been researching for several decades. It rebuilds the tooth and heals it without the need for drills, needles or amalgam by accelerating the natural repair process of calcium and phosphate minerals re-entering the tooth to repair a defect. The two-step method first prepares the damaged part of the enamel, before using a tiny electric current to push minerals into the tooth.
The technology, called Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation and developed by Nigel Pitts and Chris Longbottom, could be brought to market within three years. The company will be based in Perth, Scotland, to take advantage of the life sciences and dentistry base. Reminova is currently seeking private investors to fund development.
Nigel Pitts said: “The way we treat teeth today is not ideal – when we repair a tooth by putting in a filling, that tooth enters a cycle of drilling and re-filling as, ultimately, each “repair” fails. Not only is our device kinder to the patient and better for their teeth, but it is expected to be at least as cost-effective as current dental treatments. Along with fighting tooth decay, our device can also be used to whiten teeth.”
