title: Plasma in dentistry: a review of basic concepts and applications in dentistry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Plasma-related technologies are essential in modern industries. Recently, plasma has attracted increased attention in the biomedical field. This paper provides a basic knowledge of plasma and a narrative review of plasma applications in dentistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  To review plasma applications in dentistry, an electronic search in PubMed, SCOPUS and Google scholar up to December 2012 was done. This was followed by extensive hand searching using reference lists from relevant articles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There have been attempts to apply plasma technology in various fields of dentistry including surface modifications of dental implants, adhesion, caries treatment, endodontic treatment and tooth bleaching. Although many studies were in early stages, the potential value of plasma for dental applications has been demonstrated. To enlarge the scope of plasma applications and put relevant research to practical use, interdisciplinary research with participation of dental professionals is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry, Seoul National University School of Dentistry , Seoul , Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Mi-Ae
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Geum-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Byeong-Hoon
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D003813:Dentistry; D006801:Humans; D058626:Plasma Gases
chemical_list: D058626:Plasma Gases