Next-Generation Bioactive Materials: Therapeutic Delivery, Interface Preservation, and Caries Control in Minimally Invasive Dentistry

Minimally invasive dentistry has moved beyond conservative cavity design and now reflects a broader biological philosophy: preserve healthy tooth structure, control disease at its source, and support long-term tissue function through targeted, evidence-based intervention. At the same time, major advances in dental materials science, adhesive technology, biomimetic remineralization, regenerative approaches, and digital dentistry are reshaping how clinicians and researchers think about prevention, restoration, and oral rehabilitation. Recent literature shows growing interest in bioactive restorative systems, ion-releasing and rechargeable materials, antimicrobial and anti-proteolytic adhesives, biomimetic mineralization strategies, and smart delivery platforms that can respond to cariogenic or inflammatory conditions at the tooth-restoration interface. In parallel, the integration of digital workflows and additive manufacturing has driven significant innovation in prosthodontics, including the development of 3D-printed dental prostheses with improved precision, customizable properties, and potential incorporation of bioactive and antimicrobial functionalities.Despite this progress, important challenges remain. Durable interface preservation is still limited by hydrolytic degradation, matrix metalloproteinase activation, bacterial biofilm activity, recurrent demineralization, and incomplete translation of promising laboratory findings into clinically robust protocols. In the prosthodontic field, additional concerns include the long-term mechanical performance, dimensional stability, wear resistance, biocompatibility, and biofilm susceptibility of digitally manufactured and 3D-printed prosthetic materials. At the same time, regenerative and therapeutic approaches, including peptide-guided remineralization, collagen biomodification, dentin-pulp regeneration, smart hydrogels, and multifunctional nanomaterials, are opening new avenues for treating early lesions, deep caries, hypersensitive dentin, compromised bonding substrates, and structurally weakened tissues with greater biological precision, while also supporting innovation in restorative and prosthetic rehabilitation.This Research Topic aims to bring together basic, translational, and clinical research that advances therapeutic and bioactive strategies for minimally invasive dentistry and contemporary prosthodontics. We welcome studies that deepen understanding of how restorative, preventive, and prosthetic interventions can do more than replace lost tissue: they can actively promote remineralization, stabilize the resin-dentin interface, modulate biofilms, inhibit demineralization, protect collagen matrices, and support regeneration of dental hard and soft tissues. We are especially interested in work that bridges materials development with clinical relevance, including mechanistic studies, preclinical validation, clinical trials, and systematic or narrative reviews that clarify the state of the field and future directions, including applications in conventional and digitally manufactured prostheses.Potential themes include, but are not limited to:• bioactive and therapeutic restorative materials for minimally invasive care• dentin-adhesive interface stability and hybrid layer preservation• biomimetic remineralization of enamel and dentin• anti-demineralization and anticaries strategies in restorative dentistry• antibacterial, antibiofilm, and pH-responsive adhesive systems• collagen cross-linking, anti-proteolytic approaches, and MMP inhibition• ion-releasing, rechargeable, and smart delivery materials• nanomaterials, bioactive glass, calcium phosphate systems, and peptide-based technologies• regenerative approaches involving the dentin-pulp complex and hard tissue repair• innovations in dental prostheses, including 3D-printed prostheses and additive manufacturing• bioactive and antimicrobial prosthetic materials• mechanical performance, durability, and stability of digital and 3D-printed prostheses• prosthesis–tissue interaction and biofilm control in oral rehabilitation• minimally invasive management of deep caries, root caries, erosive lesions, and hypersensitivity• in vitro, in situ, in vivo, and clinical studies evaluating performance, durability, and translation to practiceBy gathering contributions across operative dentistry, cariology, biomaterials, prosthodontics, digital dentistry, regenerative dentistry, and translational oral health research, this Research Topic seeks to define where the field stands and where it should go next. Our goal is to highlight strategies that preserve tissue, improve restoration and prosthesis longevity, and strengthen the biological and technological foundations of minimally invasive dentistry. Topic editors: Fernanda de Carvalho Panzeri, Marcelle Danelon, Carolina Noronha Ferraz De Arruda Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79867/next-generation-bioactive-materials-therapeutic-delivery-interface-preservation-and-caries-control-in-minimally-invasive-dentistry