Lay summary
Dental caries is a prevalent chronic disease in New Zealand; one in three adults has active dental caries. Caries lead to dental pulp infection, interfering with pulp regeneration and healing. Current therapies use cement-based calcium hydroxide which has limited success, and there is no biological treatment that can modulate inflammation and regenerate dental pulp. Recently, we have shown that by inhibiting IL-23, we can successfully treat inflamed pulp and regenerative healing. We aim to be the first to successfully deliver immunotherapy medication into the dental pulp using a smart stimuli-responsive hydrogel, controlling the inflammation and keeping the tooth vital. This research is a transformational way to treat dental pulp inflammation and caries without the need for expensive treatment.