Bioactive glass as an abrasive in air abrasion technique: application in dentistry

Introduction
Bioactive glass is a material that finds more and more applications every year. It has the potential to be widely used in air abrasion because of its’ special qualities.

Objective
This study aimed to present the application and therapeutic possibilities of using bioactive glass as an abrasive.

Material and methods
Databases of PubMed/Medline, EBSCOhost, and Scopus were searched with the following combination of keywords: “(air abrasion or air-abrasion or sandblasting) and (bioactive glass or sylc)”. Only original articles from the years 2010-2021 were included into the study.

Results
After removing duplicates, 41 articles were obtained. As a result of the screening, 30 articles were used in this work. Bioactive glass air abrasion can be widely used in dentistry. It promotes re-mineralization of hard tissue, enabling a conservative approach to treatment of both carious and non-carious lesions. This material is also useful in implantology, by supporting bone regeneration, or in orthodontics by removing orthodontic adhesive without enamel damage. In the era of minimally invasive dentistry, frugal tooth preparation and minimal intervention, and not high efficiency of work, have become the canon of management. Bioactive glass is a material, that perfectly fits into this standard.

Conclusions
Bioactive glass has unique advantages, such as being antibacterial or having the ability to re-mineralize tissues. As a result, it can now be broadly utilized for treatment in many cases.