Dr. Mogell Dental Blog

Boca Raton Cosmetic Dentist

Gecko's New High-Tech Bandage

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Gecko’s Feet Inspire New High-Tech Bandage

Geckos, they are a part of our everyday life. We see them in our gardens, walkways, and sometimes in our houses. They can be a nuisance, but they are now an inspiration for a new medical product that could help surgical patients heal better and may even one day replace sutures.

Geckos have tiny hairs on their feet that provide an amazing amount of sticking power, as we have seen when they run up the side of our houses. This suction power has been imitated in an adhesive that someday will be used to close surgical wounds inside the body. It will be an internal “Band-Aid.” This new bandage will also incorporate antibiotics or other drugs and will dissolve, at a controlled rate, on the inside of the body.

This product will be particularly useful with laparoscopic surgeries, where the incision is very tiny. Sutures in this type of surgery are difficult to place in such a small area. Current medical adhesives are difficult to work with and become brittle over time. The gecko inspired adhesive will be a good replacement as it will stay stuck even in wet places inside the body. It is our hope in the dental field that this discovery will help us to more effectively deliver antibiotics in periodontal disease.

Researchers feel the gecko inspired bandages will be in clinical trials within two to five years.
Please contact us at 561-394-9000 if you are over due to have your teeth cleaned!

Kenneth A. Mogell, D.M.D.