Novel smart dental composite with rechargeable antimicrobial capability

Statement of Purpose: The most common cause of failure for dental restorations is secondary caries [1]. It results from bacterial colonization (e.g. Streptococcus mutans) at the interface between the implanted biomaterial and hard tissue. The bonding strength is degraded by bacterial acid production and cyclic stresses from mastication. Resin composites are currently the most widely used material for restorations due to their great aesthetics, strength, and ease of processing. However, resins present the highest failure rate [2] due to the increased accumulation of biofilms (increased acid production) compared to other restorative materials [3]. Recent studies have developed resin composites with antibacterial properties to mitigate acid production. However, the antimicrobial effects are vanished over time since the antibiofilm agents leach-out and no longer are capable to repel bacteria. In this work, we present a novel smart biomaterial with long-lasting antibiofilm capabilities with a single filler. The novel resin filler produces electrical charges that disrupt oral bacteria, (antimicrobial effect) and are activated by mastication. © 2019 Omnipress - All rights reserved