An international team of researchers conducted a study that suggests that dental fillings made of graphene oxide could be much more durable than those based on metals or ceramic materials.
Graphene offers both exceptional strength and resistance against corrosion, which could greatly improve current fillings that tend to corrode or break. The researchers attempted to add graphene into dental materials, in order to increase their resistance to corrosion as well as to improve their mechanical properties.
First, there was a need to determine how toxic the material is, as there is contradictory information regarding the cytotoxicity of graphene. The researchers tested three types of graphene oxides. While nitrogen-doped graphene oxide and thermally reduced graphene oxide proved to be highly toxic to human cells, graphene oxide fared much better. The results, than, showed that graphene could be appropriate for use in dental materials.