Nanorobotics - A Novel Shift Towards An Era of Hands Free Dentistry

Nanodentistry is an emerging field with significant potential to yield new generation of technologically advanced clinical tools and devices for oral healthcare. Predicting the future of any major technology is difficult. Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the microscopic scale of a nanometre (109 m). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the hypothetical nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, devices ranging in size from 0.1 to 10 m and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. With the modern scientific capabilities, it has become possible to attempt the creation of nanorobotic devices and interface them with the macro world for control. There are countless such machines that exist in nature and there is an opportunity to build more of them by mimicking nature. When we gain access to hold the nanorobots, we will be able to treat very rapidly a number of diseases. Their first useful application was in medicine to identify and destroy cancer cells but the most interesting applications may be in dentistry. Dental nanorobots could be constructed to destroy caries causing bacteria or to repair tooth blemishes where decay has set in, by using a computer to direct these tiny workers in their tasks. The present article aims to provide an early glimpse on the impact and future implication of nanorobotics in dentistry.