Exploring the Physicochemical, Mechanical, and Photocatalytic Antibacterial Properties of a Methacrylate-Based Dental Material Loaded with ZnO Nanoparticles

• Published in: Materials Vol. 15; no. 14; p. 5075
• Main Authors: Comeau, Patricia, Burgess, Julia, Malekafzali, Niknaz, Leite, Maria Luisa, Lee, Aidan, Manso, Adriana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 21.07.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: antimicrobial; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Biofilms; Bonding strength; Composite materials; Dental caries; dental material; Dental materials; Dentin; Dentistry; Flexural strength; Fourier transforms; Light emitting diodes; methacrylate-based monomers; Nanoparticles; Organic chemicals; photocatalytic; Photodynamic therapy; photosensitive; Polymer blends; Resins; Silver; Success; Zinc oxide; zinc oxide nanoparticles; Zinc oxides; United States > US; antimicrobial; dental material; methacrylate-based monomers; zinc oxide nanoparticles; photodynamic therapy; photocatalytic; photosensitive; Streptococcus mutans
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma15145075

While resin-based materials meet the many requirements of a restorative material, they lack adequate, long-lasting antimicrobial power. This study investigated a zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP)-loaded resin-blend (RB) toward a new antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT)-based approach for managing dental caries. The results confirmed that up to 20 wt% ZnO NPs could be added without compromising the degree of conversion (DC) of the original blend. The DC achieved for the 20 wt% ZnO NP blend has been the highest reported. The effects on flexural strength (FS), shear bond strength to dentin (SBS), water sorption (WS), solubility (SL), and viability of under 1.35 J/cm blue light or dark conditions were limited to ≤20 wt% ZnO NP loading. The addition of up to 20 wt% ZnO NPs had a minimal impact on FS or SBS, while a reduction in the bacteria count was observed. The maximum loading resulted in an increase in SL. Furthermore, 28-day aging in 37 °C water increased the FS for all groups, while it sustained the reduction in bacteria count for the 20 wt% resin blends. Overall, the ZnO NP-loaded resin-based restorative material presents significant potential for use in aPDT.