Published on: 2026-09-08
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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5th-year student Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of Novosibirsk State University Sofiya Eksharova became the winner of the “Student Startup” competition with a project to create a material for custom dental caps with antibacterial properties. The development is being carried out with the support of the NSU Startup Studio and the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises.
The essence of the project is to modify medical silicone with a special functional additive based on graphite-like carbon nitride and silver, in order to give the material itself the ability to prevent bacterial growth and the formation of bacterial biofilm.
— The main idea of our project is to make the mouthguard not just a passive device that stays in the oral cavity, but to give the material itself the ability to inhibit bacterial growth and the formation of bacterial biofilm., — рассказывает София.
The idea for the project grew out of the team’s previous scientific work with antibacterial silicone-based materials. While exploring the possibilities of incorporating silver-containing particles into a polymer matrix, the researchers considered practical applications for the development. One such area turned out to be dentistry, since caries is a biofilm-associated process: microorganisms form a biofilm on the surface of teeth, within which an acidic environment is maintained that promotes enamel demineralization.
— From this came the idea to create a custom mouthguard that maintains prolonged contact with the tooth surface and itself possesses antibacterial properties, — explains Sofia.
The material is based on medical-grade silicone into which an antibacterial additive Ag/ox-g-C₃N₄ is introduced. Graphitic carbon nitride is a two-dimensional carbon-nitrogen material that can exhibit photocatalytic properties and participate in the formation of reactive oxygen species. Modification with silver enhances the antibacterial effect of the system. One of the key technical challenges is to evenly distribute the additive particles within the silicone matrix to ensure reproducibility of the material’s properties.
A team of four people is working on the project, combining medical, chemical, and economic expertise. Sofiya Eksharova — project manager, responsible for the medical part, setting up experiments, and developing the concept of the final product. Sofya Harina — a synthetic chemist, a graduate student at the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FEN) at NSU and a junior researcher at the CCP “SKIF” of the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis SB RAS, engaged in the synthesis of functional additives. Valeria Efimenko is responsible for business analytics, market analysis, and commercialization issues.
At the moment, a scientific and technical groundwork for the project has been formed: there is experience in obtaining antibacterial silicone materials, approaches to microbiological testing have been developed, and an algorithm for selecting the composition based on the principle of minimum effective concentration has been established. Experimental results have been published in the previous direction. The next stage is the production of a series of samples with a functional additive, determination of the optimal concentration, study of antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity, followed by the manufacture of a pilot batch of capsules.
There are no direct Russian equivalents of the material for an individual silicone mouthguard specifically aimed at the preventive reduction of bacterial load and the formation of cariogenic biofilm. Abroad, there are sports mouthguards with silver-containing additives, but there the antibacterial component is primarily used for the hygiene of the product itself, rather than for caries prevention.
— Our distinction lies in the functional additive itself. We use a combined system of graphene-like carbon nitride with silver. This approach potentially reduces the risk of cytotoxicity while simultaneously lowering the material cost through more efficient distribution of silver within the polymer., — emphasizes Sofia.
The primary area of application is preventive dentistry. The relevance of the development is confirmed by statistics: according to the data the team worked with, the prevalence of caries among people aged 18–44 in Russia reaches 94.2%.
Proposed scenario: a patient at increased risk of developing caries receives a custom mouthguard made from the developed material and uses it according to the recommended regimen. Further work may follow the B2B2C model: the material or finished products can be distributed through dental clinics.
— Prevention largely depends on the regularity of the individual’s actions: hygiene, use of preventive measures, adherence to the doctor’s recommendations. Therefore, materials that can provide an additional preventive effect through their own properties are of particular interest, — explains Sofia.
The grant funds are planned to be used for the purchase of materials and consumables for synthesis and research, microbiological work, manufacturing molds and prototypes, and paying the team’s work. The immediate goal is to obtain a reproducible composition of silicone material with confirmed antibacterial properties and an acceptable safety profile. At the end of the project, the team expects to produce a pilot batch of caps, a technological regulation for their manufacturing, in vitro research results, and prepare materials for intellectual property protection.
— It is important for us not just to create an antibacterial material as a laboratory sample, but to develop it into a product that can actually be used in dental practice, — Sofia concludes.
The project is supported by the Foundation for Assistance to Innovations under the “Student Startup” program of the “University Technology Entrepreneurship Platform” event of the federal project “Technologies.”
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