The applications of carbon dots in oral health: A scoping review

Objectives: This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the research and potential applications of carbon dots (CDs) for oral health purposes. Design: Systematic literature searches were performed on PubMed and Web of Science databases (up to February 2023). Two co-authors selected the published works independently and extracted the data in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Studies with the application of CDs for oral health purposes were included. Results: Among 152 articles, 19 articles were finally selected. Eight studies investigated the anti-microbial effects of CDs against, for example, oral pathogens, eight studies explored the applicability of CDs in relation to oral cancer, and three studies investigated CDs in relation to cell differentiation and tissue regeneration in oral health. The studies showed the promising potential of CDs in oral health, particularly for inducing bacterial killing by increasing reactive oxygen species, killing oral cancer cells via photodynamic therapeutic effects, and inducing dental pulp and periodontal bone regeneration. Conclusion: The findings show that CDs have the potential to be utilized in the future for various oral health purposes. Besides, these results underline the broad-spectrum applicability of CDs, crossing the borders of oral health.