The Influence of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Incorporation into Soft Denture Lining Material on Candida albicans Adherence and Some Mechanical and Physical Properties

This study aimed to assess the effect of titanium nanoparticles (TiNPS) addition into soft denture lining material on Candida albicans (C. albicans) adherence ability, hardness, shear bond strength and spectrophotometer color absorption of the lining material. TiNPS with 2% concentration by weight( according to the pilot study) were added into acrylic-based heat cured soft denture liner. One hundred and twenty different specimens were prepared and divided into four groups according to the test to be performed. The ability of C. albicans to adhere on the soft liner/ TiNPS composite was evaluated in three different periods, also hardness, shear bond strength and light absorption by liner material were measured, the results showed there were significant decrease in adhered Candida cells number on the surface of the experimental specimens in comparison with the control specimens in each incubation period, and significant decrease in the hardness of the experimental specimens. The strength of the shear bond between the soft liner and the acrylic denture base showed non-significant difference but a significant increase in light absorption percentage was observed in all experimental specimens. Thus it can be concluded that the addition of TiNPS can provide soft liner material with antifungal properties, reduced hardness and unaffected shear bond strength with increased opacity of the liner material