Liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposite material for dental application

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Nanocomposite Technology
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Novel liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposites offer reduced polymerization shrinkage and enhanced bonding to tooth structures.
• These materials hold potential for esthetic dentistry applications, including restorations and orthodontic brackets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the biocompatibility, microhardness, and frictional forces of liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposites with varying filler content.
• To assess their suitability for diverse clinical dental applications.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated cell activity using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay.
• Assessed microhardness with and without thermocycling.
• Measured frictional forces between bracket-like blocks and commercial systems using Instron 5566.

Main Results:

• The nanocomposites demonstrated good biocompatibility.
• Higher filler content resulted in superior microhardness compared to commercial brackets, both before and after thermocycling.
• Manufacturing processes significantly impact frictional forces in orthodontic brackets.

Conclusions:

• The developed liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposites exhibit superior microhardness to existing commercial brackets, even post-thermocycling.
• These materials are suitable for dental core/post systems and restorations.
• Optimized manufacturing could enable their use in esthetic orthodontic brackets.