Developing Novel Antibacterial Dental Filling Composite Restoratives

Abstract

A novel antimicrobial dental composite system has been developed and evaluated. Both alumina and zirconia filler particles were covalently coated with an antibacterial resin and blended into a composite formulation, respectively. Surface hardness and bacterial viability were used to evaluate the coated alumina fi ller-modif ed composite. Compressive strength and bacterial viability were used to evaluate the coated zirconia ller-modi ed composite. Commercial composite Kerr was used as control. The specimens were conditioned in distilled water at 37 °C for 24 h prior to testing. Four bacterial species Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli were used to assess the bacterial viability. Effects of antibacterial moiety content, modif ed particle size and loading, and total fi ller content was investigated. Chapter 2 describes how we studied and evaluated the composite modi fed with antibacterial resin-coated alumina llers. The results showed that almost all the modi ed composites exhibited higher antibacterial activity along with improved surface hardness, as compared to unmodi fed one. Increasing antibacterial moiety content, particle size and loading, and total fi ller content generally increased surface hardness. Increasing antibacterial moiety, fi ller loading, and total fi ller content increased antibacterial activity. On the other hand, increasing particle size showed a negative impact on antibacterial activity. The leaching tests indicate that the modiChapter 3 describes how we studied and evaluated the composite modif ed with antibacterial resin-coated zirconia fi ller. The results showed that almost all the modif ed composites exhibited higher antibacterial activity along with decreased compressive strength, as compared to the unmodif ed control. It was found that with increasing antibacterial moiety content and modi fedfi ller loading, yield strength, modulus and compressive strength of the composite were decreased. In addition, the strengths of the composite were increased with increasing powder/liquid ratio. On the other hand, with increasing antibacterial moiety content, fi ller loading and powder/liquid ratio, antibacterial activity was enhanced. In summary, we have developed a novel antibacterial dental composite system for improved dental restoratives. Both composites modif ed with the antibacterial resin-coated alumina and zirconia fi ller have demonstrated signi cant antibacterial activities. The composite modi fed with the alumina fi ller showed improved hardness values, but the composite modif ed with the zirconia fi ller showed decreased compressive strength values. It appears that the developed system is a non-leaching antibacterial dental composite. ed experimental composite showed no leachable antibacterial component to bacteria.