Welcome to the website of General Dentistry section, Hokkaido University Faculty of Dental Medicine. We offer a seamless and advanced comprehensive dental education that integrates the School of Dental Medicine, postgraduate clinical training, and the Graduate School of Dental Medicine. Our mission is to cultivate well-rounded dentists; Super General Dentist, equipped with a broad spectrum of dental knowledge and skills.
We actively promote cutting-edge dento-medical research and development, emphasizing industry-academia collaboration and translational research, with the goal of nurturing the next generation of clinical dental researchers. Additionally, we are engaged in the Dental Innovation Project within the Faculty of Dental Medicine.
In partnership with the Section of General Dentistry and the Clinical Training Center at Hokkaido University Hospital, we are committed to advancing clinical dental education.

Our joint research team, in collaboration with the Oyane Group of the Nanomaterials Research Institute in the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), is conducting studies on rapidly precipitating apatite on tooth surfaces using laser and biomimetic processes to achieve biomodified tooth surfaces. The apatite deposited on the tooth surface can encapsulate bioactive substances and/or antibiotics, suggesting potential applications for preventing root caries and treating periodontal disease. Additionally, this method can be applied to the surfaces of biomaterials, allowing for the modification of artificial materials such as dental composite resins.

Our joint research team, in collaboration with the Kawasaki Group of the Faculty of Chemistry, Materials and Bioengineering in Kansai University, is developing new technologies for photodynamic therapy and advancing research on photodynamic disinfection methods using metal nanoclusters. These materials are water-soluble and have good biocompatibility, allowing for light excitation across a wide range of wavelengths compared to traditional organic photosensitizers like methylene blue. This makes them suitable for disinfection using standard white LED or blue LED dental curing light sources.

Our joint research team, in collaboration with the Nakamura-Oyane Group of the Nanomaterials Research Institute in the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), has succeeded in synthesizing submicron and nanoscale calcium phosphate particles containing various substances, discovering their antibacterial properties against oral bacteria.

We are conducting research to apply innovative technology using glass nanoparticles that release bioactive ions for coating tooth surfaces, aimed at enhancing dental treatments for both periodontal disease and caries. The teeth were uniformly coated with S-PRG (surface pre-reacted glass-ionomer) nanofillers that release antibacterial ions such as fluoride and borate. When Streptococcus mutans, a type of cariogenic bacteria, was inoculated and cultured on these treated surfaces, bacterial growth was inhibited. Moreover, the S-PRG nanofillers adhered to the tooth surfaces released antibacterial ions over an extended period, resulting in improvements in periodontal health, as demonstrated in animal models. We are developing this coating as a simple, yet highly effective, method for caries prevention and periodontal treatment.