Antibacterial properties of dentin bonding systems, polyacid-modified composite resins and composite resins

This study examined the antibacterial activities of the bonding systems Syntac, EBS and Scotchbond 1, the polyacid-modified composite resins Hytac and Compoglass, and the composite resins Tetric, Z100 and Scalp-it. They were evaluated using the cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus salivarius, Streptococcus sorbinus and Actinomyces viscosus in vitro with a modified cylinder drop plate agar diffusion assay. All adhesives of the dentin bonding systems and the polyacid-modified composite resins exhibited various degrees of antibacterial activity against all of the test bacteria. On the contrary, composite resins did not affect bacterial growth. The data suggest that the use of these adhesives and polyacid-modified composite resins may reduce the consequences of microleakage owing to their antibacterial properties.