Nobio gets FDA approval for anti-bacterial dental fillings

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Israel’s Nobio Ltd said on Monday it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its anti-bacterial composite designed to remain in the teeth for decades.

Nobio said it will now gain access to the $1.4 billion global dental materials market. According to iData Research, direct restoratives, or fillings, account for over a third of the market.

Nobio said it will make its technology available to dentists through its Infinix brand and will also license it to other manufacturers. Nobio is negotiating with distributors and manufacturers and plans to announce its first commercial partnerships later this year. Founded four years ago, Nobio raised $9 million from Israel’s aMoon Fund and Ole Jensen, a dental surgeon and co-founder of the ClearChoice network of dental implant clinics. Known as white fillings, dental composite restoratives treat tooth decay by filling cavities with materials matching a patient’s tooth shade and strength. More than 200 million tooth restorations are performed annually in the United States, mostly to replace existing fillings that deteriorate due to bacteria.