Abstrct 

In dentistry, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been incorporated to produce nonbiodegradable barriers that have been used successfully for GBR and GTR.14 PTFE has been incorporated in suturing materials to produce durable non-resorbable sutures and monofilament expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e-PTFE).3  Aside from being incorporated with other biocompatible materials, PTFE can also be used alone or for an array of purposes in the dental field. Dental applications of PTFE may include but are not limited to:-

use as a barrier material, interdental separator in adhesive dentistry, sealing of screw access channels, pulpal access in multi-step RCT procedures, and occlusal stamping in direct restorative

procedures.2, 4, 5, 7, 13  The purpose of this article is to summarize the use and application of PTFE in dental field. 

Introduction 

 

PTFE is chemically stable, non-toxic to humans, highly resistant to heat and chemicals, and has an extremely low coefficient of friction. These properties of PTFE make it a suitable material for medical use.13

Materials and methods: 

The PubMed database was searched for published studies in the English language from 2012-2022. The following MESH terms were used to generate a search: "PTFE tape," "Teflon tape," "dental materials," "use in dentistry". From the searches, 14 relevant articles were included for documented uses of PTFE in the dental field. 

Discussion 

Documented research has shown that PTFE can be used both alone and/or incorporated with other biocompatible materials in a wide array of procedures across the dental field. 3, 14   PTFE is used in sutures, in barrier materials, as a separator, as an access channel sealer, and other uses.2,4,5,9,11,12,13 The widespread use of PTFE in clinical practice is because it is easily sourced, inexpensive and not technique sensitive.  Most commercially available PTFE has not been FDA approved as a medical device. In some countries, only medical grade PTFE can be used.

 Conclusion: 

PTFE is a valuable material serving many purposes in the field of dentistry. Use of medical grade PTFE is recommended, as industrial PTFE is not FDA approved. If industrial grade PTFE is utilized for non-invasive treatment, it must be autoclaved.