PHILADELPHIA, U.S.: Dentists rely on composite materials to perform restorative procedures, such as filling cavities. However, these materials, just like tooth enamel, can be vulnerable to the growth of plaque. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania evaluated a new dental material tethered with an antimicrobial compound that not only kills bacteria, but can also resist biofilm growth.
In addition, unlike some drug-infused materials, it is effective with minimal toxicity to the surrounding tissue, as it contains a low dose of an antimicrobial agent that kills only the bacteria that come in contact with it.
"Dental biomaterials such as these need to achieve two goals: first, they should kill pathogenic microbes effectively, and, second, they need to withstand severe mechanical stress, like when we bite and chew. Many products need large amounts of anti-microbial agents to maximize killing efficacy, which can weaken the mechanical properties and be toxic to tissues, but we showed that this material has outstanding mechanical properties and long-lasting antibiofilm activities without cytotoxicity," said Geelsu Hwang, research assistant professor at Penn Dental Medicine.
The newly developed material is comprised of a resin embedded with the antibacterial agent imidazolium. Unlike some traditional biomaterials that slowly release a drug, this material is nonleachable, thereby only killing the microbes that touch it. "This can reduce the likelihood of antimicrobial resistance," Hwang said.
Hwang and his colleagues put the material through its paces, testing its ability to kill microbes, prevent the growth of biofilms and withstand mechanical stress. The results showed it to be effective in killing bacterial cells on contact, severely disrupting the ability of biofilms to grow on its surface. Only negligible amounts of the biofilm matrix, the glue that holds clusters of bacteria together, were able to accumulate on the experimental material, in contrast to a control composite material, which showed a steady accumulation of sticky biofilm matrix over time.
Following the initial tests, the team assessed how much shear force was required to remove the biofilm on the experimental material. While the smallest force removed almost all the biofilm from the experimental material, even a force four times as strong was incapable of removing the biofilm from the control composite material. "The force equivalent to taking a drink of water could easily remove the biofilm from this material," Hwang added.
The study, titled "Nonleachable imidazolium-incorporated composite for disruption of bacterial clustering, exopolysaccharide-matrix assembly, and enhanced biofilm removal," was published in the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal on October 11 and was funded by Dentsply Sirona.
Tags:
CHARLOTTE, N.C., US/BRISTOL, UK: Dentsply Sirona, the world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, has continued its ...
YORK, Pa., U.S.: Dentsply Sirona, manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, has announced that three new board members have been ...
CHARLOTTE, N.C., U.S.: Dentsply Sirona and the Pittsburgh-headquartered dental support organization (DSO) North American Dental Group (NADG) have agreed to ...
YORK, Pa., U.S./SALZBURG, Austria: Marion Par-Weixlberger was appointed as Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Dentsply ...
CHARLOTTE, N.C., U.S.: DS World typically takes place in Las Vegas, but was held virtually this year owing to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. More than 4,500 ...
FREIBURG, Germany: A new field of research in dental diagnostics could further the integration of early detection of oral disease into routine dental ...
CHARLOTTE, N.C., US: The Aligner Course Series is an on-demand programme designed to equip dental practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to ...
The aim of this article is to present a case of single-tooth prosthetic restoration in the aesthetic zone step by step. The patient was referred to our ...
CHARLOTTE, N.C., US/COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Dentsply Sirona, the world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies, and 3Shape, a...
Current treatment approaches focus on creating durable and healthy tissue around dental implants to prevent peri-implantitis, aiming for long-term implant ...
Live webinar
Tue. 29 October 2024
1:00 pm EST (New York)
Live webinar
Wed. 30 October 2024
11:00 am EST (New York)
To post a reply please login or register