Paper-based Rapid Diagnostics for Early Dental Caries Prediction at the Chairside

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Dental caries is the single most common affliction across the globe affecting billion people The current process of identifying dental caries involves examining caries formation by naked eyes or X ray during routine checkups Once identified surgical restorative procedures are used to drill out the decay portion of the tooth an filled with synthetic material This style of andapos drill andamp fillandapos dental care is highly ineffective and osts more than $ billion in the United State per year The American Dental Association promotes the andquot early detection and preventive treatmentandquot paradigm which could dramatically reduce human suffering and the high cost associated with the disease Traditional broad spectrum compounds such as chlorhexidine and Xylitol are effective however even more promising are species specific antibiotics which leave the andapos healthyandapos commensal bacteria intact For these preventive treatments to be useful it is crucial that caries formation is predicted before structual damage is done to the tooth We propose to achieve that by detecting Streptocauccus mutans S mutans a major cariogenic bacteria which its salivary concentration strongly correlates to future caries formation Currently the only methods capable of detecting S mutans at relevant concentrations are all lab based such as PCR or ELISA which are very rarely used due to the high cost and long time to result The main goal of this project is to develop the next generation rapid inexpensive and simple test for the detection of S mutans using the novel dimensional Paper Sensor PS technology The PS device incorporate a sample pre concentration step using aqueous two phase system ATPS and a rapid lateral flow immunoassay LFA for detection Traditional LFA is not sensitive enough to detect S mutans at relevant concentrations To overcome this barrier a concentration component using ATPS can concentrate the target pathogen by several orders of magnitude prior to LFA detection By using paper microfludics we demonstrated our PS device can simultaneously and seamless concentrate and detect target pathogen using only light and inexpensive paper materials Once fully developed the PS device will be a rapid andlt mins inexpensive and disposable diagnostic that dentists can use in the office to reliably predict caries formation at the chairsid With this diagnostic preventative treatment of caries formation becomes a practical solution for dental healthcare professionals In Phase I we will develop the prototypes of the PS device using approaches a andquot low hanging fruitandquot two stage platform and a andquot high risk high rewardandquot one stage platform The successful execution of these aims will result in a diagnostic test that can predict caries development allowing dental healthcare professionals to use preventive treatment rather than the current andquot drilling andamp fillingandquot approach This will drastically reduce the cst of dental caries treatment and improve the quality of care The simplicity and cost effectiveness of this andquot early detection and preventive treatmentandquot combination has the opportunity to revolutionize healthcare of dental caries both in industrialized and resource poor settings

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The objective of this project is to translate our breakthrough paper based diagnostic technology into a rapid inexpensive and reliable chairside test for early prediction of dental caries which is one of the most prevalent and costly oral diseases in the United States This vital but currently missing component in oral healthcare combined with preventive treatments could dramatically reduce dental caries and the high costs associated with the disease Besides being low cost the proposed device does not require power equipment or trained personnel which is particularly suitable to use in resource poor settings