Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a new dental material that kills bacteria and is capable of resisting biofilm growth. Their study was recently published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. Biofilms are communities of bacteria that form and stick to surfaces, especially wet ones, said Dr. John Pappas, DDS, of Arcadia Dental Arts in Phoenix, Arizona. "Plaque is actually a sticky biofilm that forms on teeth," he said. "It can even form on the restorative materials we use in dentistry such as composite fillings." Testing the New Material Against Composite  The research team tested this new material against a typical composite material used in dentistry today and found that the biofilm was removed easily on the new, experimental material while it took four times the force to remove the biofilm on the composite material. When it came to killing and preventing a buildup of bacteria, only...