Methacrylates in dental restorative materials.

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Dental restorative materials, including bonding agents, composite resins, and glass ionomers, are widely used in dentistry.
• Some components, particularly methacrylates, are known sensitizers and pose potential health risks to dental personnel.
• Accurate identification and quantification of these sensitizing agents are crucial for risk management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and quantify sensitizing methacrylates in commercial dental restorative materials.
• To evaluate the accuracy and completeness of information provided in Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) regarding these methacrylates.
• To highlight the need for improved SDSs for better occupational health risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of acetone-soluble methacrylates in 7 bonding materials, 8 composite resins, and 2 glass ionomers.
• Gas chromatography with mass-selective detection (GC-MS) for identification.
• Liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (LC-UV) for quantification.

Main Results:

• 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA) and bis-GMA were frequently detected in bonding materials.
• Bis-GMA and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate were prevalent in composite resins.
• 2-HEMA or trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate were the primary methacrylates in glass ionomers.
• SDSs provided accurate methacrylate information for only about half of the analyzed products.

Conclusions:

• Commercial dental materials contain various sensitizing methacrylates.
• Current SDSs are insufficient for reliable assessment of health risks associated with dental methacrylates.
• Enhanced SDSs are necessary to ensure the safety of dental personnel.