scholarly journals Developing a New Generation of Therapeutic Dental Polymers to Inhibit Oral Biofilms and Protect Teeth

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Bashayer Baras ◽  
Christopher Lynch ◽  
Michael Weir ◽  
Mary Melo ◽  
...  

Polymeric tooth-colored restorations are increasingly popular in dentistry. However, restoration failures remain a major challenge, and more than 50% of all operative work was devoted to removing and replacing the failed restorations. This is a heavy burden, with the expense for restoring dental cavities in the U.S. exceeding $46 billion annually. In addition, the need is increasing dramatically as the population ages with increasing tooth retention in seniors. Traditional materials for cavity restorations are usually bioinert and replace the decayed tooth volumes. This article reviews cutting-edge research on the synthesis and evaluation of a new generation of bioactive dental polymers that not only restore the decayed tooth structures, but also have therapeutic functions. These materials include polymeric composites and bonding agents for tooth cavity restorations that inhibit saliva-based microcosm biofilms, bioactive resins for tooth root caries treatments, polymers that can suppress periodontal pathogens, and root canal sealers that can kill endodontic biofilms. These novel compositions substantially inhibit biofilm growth, greatly reduce acid production and polysaccharide synthesis of biofilms, and reduce biofilm colony-forming units by three to four orders of magnitude. This new class of bioactive and therapeutic polymeric materials is promising to inhibit tooth decay, suppress recurrent caries, control oral biofilms and acid production, protect the periodontium, and heal endodontic infections.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6850
Author(s):  
Seyyed Mojtaba Mousavi ◽  
Seyyed Alireza Hashemi ◽  
Sonia Bahrani ◽  
Khadije Yousefi ◽  
Gity Behbudi ◽  
...  

In this review, the unique properties of intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP) in biomedical engineering fields are summarized. Polythiophene and its valuable derivatives are known as potent materials that can broadly be applied in biosensors, DNA, and gene delivery applications. Moreover, this material plays a basic role in curing and promoting anti-HIV drugs. Some of the thiophene’s derivatives were chosen for different experiments and investigations to study their behavior and effects while binding with different materials and establishing new compounds. Many methods were considered for electrode coating and the conversion of thiophene to different monomers to improve their functions and to use them for a new generation of novel medical usages. It is believed that polythiophenes and their derivatives can be used in the future as a substitute for many old-fashioned ways of creating chemical biosensors polymeric materials and also drugs with lower side effects yet having a more effective response. It can be noted that syncing biochemistry with biomedical engineering will lead to a new generation of science, especially one that involves high-efficiency polymers. Therefore, since polythiophene can be customized with many derivatives, some of the novel combinations are covered in this review.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Cao ◽  
Junling Wu ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Bashayer Baras ◽  
Ghalia Bhadila ◽  
...  

Orthodontic treatment is increasingly popular as people worldwide seek esthetics and better quality of life. In orthodontic treatment, complex appliances and retainers are placed in the patients’ mouths for at least one year, which often lead to biofilm plaque accumulation. This in turn increases the caries-inducing bacteria, decreases the pH of the retained plaque on an enamel surface, and causes white spot lesions (WSLs) in enamel. This article reviews the cutting-edge research on a new class of bioactive and therapeutic dental resins, cements, and adhesives that can inhibit biofilms and protect tooth structures. The novel approaches include the use of protein-repellent and anticaries polymeric dental cements containing 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) and dimethylaminododecyl methacrylate (DMAHDM); multifunctional resins that can inhibit enamel demineralization; protein-repellent and self-etching adhesives to greatly reduce oral biofilm growth; and novel polymethyl methacrylate resins to suppress oral biofilms and acid production. These new materials could reduce biofilm attachment, raise local biofilm pH, and facilitate the remineralization to protect the teeth. This novel class of dental resin with dual benefits of antibacterial and protein-repellent capabilities has the potential for a wide range of dental and biomedical applications to inhibit bacterial infection and protect the tissues.


Author(s):  
Benyamin Rahmani ◽  
Hossein Ghanbari ◽  
Spyridon Tzamtzis ◽  
Gaetano Burriesci ◽  
Alexander M. Seifalian

Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is the second most common cardiac procedure after coronary artery bypass grafting, accounting for more than 200,000 transplantations annually worldwide [1]. Currently available mechanical and bioprosthetic heart valve replacements are not ideal as they are associated with relevant complications. The tri-leaflet polymeric heart valves (PHVs) have been widely investigated as possible alternative to these substitutes. However, the clinical application of PHVs has been limited by their suboptimal design and poor durability of available polymeric materials. This study presents a new concept of surgical aortic valve using a novel nanocomposite polymer.


2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff W. McCutcheon

Abstract The key to successful multifunctional materials applications for vibration, shock and acoustic control is often the proper selection of materials, geometric design and optimum application. Much work has been done in the areas of geometric designs and optimum application of the multi-functional materials. The next step is improvements in the passive damping materials themselves. The improvement in the passive materials in the past has often focused on the areas of improved damping performance (loss factor, storage modulus), material performance (acrylics, silicones, etc.) and enhanced features (thermally conductive, electrically conductive, etc). One of the newest requirements for passive damping polymers is in the area of ultra-pure viscoelastic damping polymers. This new generation of materials is finding growing use because the sensitive environment where the passive material is used require a material that will not negatively impact the components in that environment. This new generation of passive materials needs to be ultra-pure with respect to organic material outgassing, anions, catalysts and siloxanes. In addition to the viscoelastic damping polymer requirements for high purity, the associated polymeric materials (epoxies, laminating adhesives and tapes) used in the same environment must also be of a similar low outgassing, ultra-pure, ultra-clean, electronics grade or clean room performance designation. If this is not done, the environment could become contaminated and negate a portion of the benefit of using the clean damping material. This also requires an understanding of the test method used to determine each product’s cleanliness performance, as all test methods are not equal and can give significantly different test results. An example is comparing a polymer sample tested for organic outgassing and using a static headspace gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) and a dynamic headspace GC/MS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 98 (11) ◽  
pp. 1245-1252 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.M. Nascimento ◽  
A.J. Alvarez ◽  
X. Huang ◽  
C. Browngardt ◽  
R. Jenkins ◽  
...  

Caries lesions develop when acid production from bacterial metabolism of dietary carbohydrates outweighs the various mechanisms that promote pH homeostasis, including bacterial alkali production. Therapies that provide arginine as a substrate for alkali production in supragingival oral biofilms have strong anticaries potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the metabolic profile of site-specific supragingival plaque in response to the use of arginine (Arg: 1.5% arginine, fluoride-free) or fluoride (F: 1,100 ppm F/NaF) toothpastes. Eighty-three adults of different caries status were recruited and assigned to treatment with Arg or F for 12 wk. Caries lesions were diagnosed using International Caries Detection and Assessment System II, and plaque samples were collected from caries-free and carious tooth surfaces. Taxonomic profiles were obtained by HOMINGS (Human Oral Microbe Identification using Next Generation Sequencing), and plaque metabolism was assessed by the levels of arginine catabolism via the arginine deiminase pathway (ADS), acidogenicity, and global metabolomics. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares–discriminant analysis, analysis of variance, and random forest tests were used to distinguish metabolic profiles. Of the 509 active lesions diagnosed at baseline, 70 (14%) were inactive after 12 wk. Generalized linear model showed that enamel lesions were significantly more likely to become inactive compared to dentin lesions ( P < 0.0001), but no difference was found when treatment with Arg was compared to F ( P = 0.46). Arg significantly increased plaque ADS activity ( P = 0.031) and plaque pH values after incubation with glucose ( P = 0.001). F reduced plaque lactate production from endogenous sources ( P = 0.02). PCA revealed differences between the metabolic profiles of plaque treated with Arg or F. Arg significantly affected the concentrations of 16 metabolites, including phenethylamine, agmatine, and glucosamine-6-phosphate ( P < 0.05), while F affected the concentrations of 9 metabolites, including phenethylamine, N-methyl-glutamate, and agmatine ( P < 0.05). The anticaries mechanisms of action of arginine and fluoride are distinct. Arginine metabolism promotes biofilm pH homeostasis, whereas fluoride is thought to enhance resistance of tooth minerals to low pH and reduce acid production by supragingival oral biofilms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 96 (8) ◽  
pp. 855-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Cheng ◽  
K. Zhang ◽  
N. Zhang ◽  
M.A.S. Melo ◽  
M.D. Weir ◽  
...  

Dental caries is prevalent, and secondary caries causes restoration failures. This article reviews recent studies on developing a new generation of bioactive resins with anticaries properties. Extensive effects were made to develop new antimicrobial composites, bonding agents, and other resins containing quaternary ammonium methacrylates to suppress plaque buildup and bacterial acid production. The effects of alkyl chain length and charge density and the antimicrobial mechanisms for chlorhexidine, nano-silver, quaternary ammonium methacrylates, and protein-repellent agents were discussed. Synergistic effects of contact-killing and protein-repellent properties were shown to yield the greatest biofilm-inhibition effects. The combination of antimicrobial, protein-repellent, and calcium phosphate nanoparticle remineralization was suggested to provide maximal anticaries effects. In addition, for use orally, cytotoxicity and biocompatibility were important considerations for the new bioactive materials. Furthermore, rather than kill all bacteria, it would be more desirable to modulate the oral biofilm compositions via bioactive resins to suppress cariogenic/pathogenic species and promote benign species. For widespread clinical use of the new antimicrobial and therapeutic materials, whether they would induce bacterial drug resistance needs to be determined, which requires further study. Nonetheless, the new generation of bioactive anticaries resins with therapeutic and biofilm acid-inhibiting properties has the potential to substantially benefit oral health.


2012 ◽  
pp. 365-376
Author(s):  
Ken Okamoto ◽  
Shiro Kondo ◽  
Takeshi Nishino

2020 ◽  
Vol 301 ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Alaa Falih Ismael

White light-emitting diode (LED) is used in a new generation of solid-state lighting due to its advantages in energy saving and environmental friendliness. Based on this assumption, Emphasis was put on trying to establish a laboratory technique to convert UV-blue light into white light by using polymeric materials. In this work, an laboratory technique to convert UV-blue light into white light by using polymeric materials, consisting of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) for a white light generation. The project employed the use Colouring polymorph plastic as an active materials mixed with Silicone Sealant in different ratio and pumping by UV-Blue light. Colour rendering index (CRI) and correlated colour temperature (CCT) as main measurement parameters to evaluate the performance of the white light. The best white light appearance an indicated by photo and colour meter were achieved by mixing red (R), 0.05gm and green (G), 0.1gm the optimum results were CCT =3606k, CRI =70.3, x=0.3661, y=0.2925, and by mixing red (R), 0.005gm and green (G), 0.005gm the results were CCT=4891 k, CRI =63.8 and x=0.3359, y=0.2405.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malgorzata Latos-Brozio ◽  
Anna Masek

Plant polyphenols are a huge group of compounds with a wide spectrum of applications. Substances from this group have been used in polymer materials such as stabilizers, dyes, indicators, fungicides, and bactericides, especially in new generation packaging materials. The aim of this study is to obtain environmentally friendly materials based on the biodegradable aliphatic polyesters, polylactide (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), with plant functional additives, (+)-catechin and polydatin. These natural polyphenols (polydatin and (+)-catechin) have not been used so far in polymer materials (especially in biodegradable polyesters) as stabilizers, dyes, and indicators of aging. The application of polydatin and (+)-catechin as multifunctional additives for biodegradable polymers is a scientific novelty. This paper presents the following analyses of polyester materials: SEM microscopy, wide angle x-ray diffraction, mechanical properties, thermal analysis, surface free energy analysis, and determination of change of color after controlled UV exposure, thermal oxidation and weathering. Both PLA and PHA polyesters were characterized by higher resistance to oxidation and greater resistance to degradation under the influence of UV radiation. In addition, (+)-catechin was used simultaneously as a dye and an indicator of the aging time of polymeric materials. In contrast, polydatin did not dye polymers, but was a very good indicator of their lifetime, changing color under the influence of various external factors. Both polyphenols can be successfully used as natural additives for pro-ecological polyesters.


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