Glidewell Introduces Simply Natural™ Digital Dentures With Antimicrobial Properties

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., November 14, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Glidewell, America’s largest and most innovative dental laboratory, announced today that its 3D-printed Simply Natural^™ Digital Dentures now feature in vitro bactericidal and fungicidal effects as demonstrated via in vitro testing, eliminating >99.9% of the most common bacteria and fungi known to cause biofilm and contamination of a denture surface.

For denture wearers, less bacteria and fungi on the surface of the printed denture can result in a “cleaner” denture, with fewer microorganisms colonizing. This can lead to longer denture life and a more pleasant overall experience for the patient.

“Dentures are an essential treatment option, but can also be notoriously difficult to clean,” said David Morales, General Manager of Glidewell’s Removables Department. “By offering a denture with antimicrobial properties, we hope to maximize patient convenience and better safeguard their overall health.”

Simply Natural Digital Dentures are printed from Glidewell™ 3DP Denture Base Resin, developed and produced by Prismatik Dentalcraft, Inc., the in-house research and manufacturing division at Glidewell. The proprietary resin was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023 for its in vitro bactericidal and fungicidal effects, enabling Glidewell to promote the antimicrobial features of Simply Natural Digital Dentures — a first in the industry.

“We take pride as an organization in investing in and developing unique technologies to serve the dental community,” said Glidewell CEO Stephenie Goddard. “Rather than buy run-of-the-mill printable denture resins from a third party, we set out to design and obtain clearance for our own resin materials — challenging our R&D team to provide a compelling antimicrobial feature in the process.”

The formulation of the Glidewell 3DP Denture Base Resin contains silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate as the antimicrobial agent. In vitro studies demonstrated >99.9% reduction coupled with long-term effectiveness against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). These microorganisms have been shown to lead to diseases such as denture stomatitis and accumulate as nettlesome biofilm on the surface of a printed denture.¹ MRSA and VRE are superbugs known to cause infections in hospital and intensive care units.

The company plans to conduct clinical studies to determine whether the presence of silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate results in improved outcomes.

According to the American College of Prosthodontics, approximately 36 million adults in the United States suffer from edentulism and 120 million are missing at least one tooth.² Around 90% of that population uses a denture to replace teeth and restore function.³ This number is set to grow due to the aging of the baby boomer population.

To learn more about Simply Natural Digital Dentures or the antimicrobial Glidewell 3DP Denture Base Resin, visit glidewell.com.

Citations

1. Gendreau, Linda, and Zvi G. Loewy. "Epidemiology and etiology of denture stomatitis." Journal of Prosthodontics: Implant, Esthetic and Reconstructive Dentistry 20.4 (2011): 251-260. Epidemiology and Etiology of Denture Stomatitis - Gendreau - 2011 - Journal of Prosthodontics - Wiley Online Library.
2. “Facts and Figures.” American College of Prosthodontics, Oct. 2024. https://www.gotoapro.org/facts-figures/ 
3. Ibid.

Source: Glidewell Dental