Welcome to the Section of General Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University. We provide a seamless and advanced dental education program that integrates undergraduate studies, postgraduate clinical training, and graduate education. Our mission is to cultivate well-rounded "Super General Dentists" equipped with a broad spectrum of dental knowledge and clinical skills.
We advance cutting-edge dental-medical research and development, with a strong emphasis on industry-academia collaboration and translational research, aiming to nurture the next generation of clinical dental researchers. In addition, we actively lead the Dental Innovation Project within the Faculty of Dental Medicine.
In collaboration with the Clinical Training Center at Hokkaido University Hospital, we remain committed to continually advancing exellence in 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.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a sheet-like nanocarbon material obtained by strong oxidation and exfoliation of graphite, and it possesses remarkable properties. Oxygen-containing functional groups on the GO surface enable strong interactions with a wide variety of molecules. In collaboration with Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd., our research team successfully developed a durable, transparent, and water-resistant coating on tooth surfaces using a GO–cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) complex. Teeth coated with the GO/CPC complex showed no bacterial growth. In addition to teeth, this water-resistant transparent composite coating can also be applied to various substrates such as glass, plastics, metals, PET, and fabrics. This innovative application of nanocarbon materials has attracted considerable attention.