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Published on: March 4, 2016
Non-thermal atmospheric plasma brush induces HEMA grafting onto dentin collagen
Mingsheng Chen1, Ying Zhang2, Vladimir Dusevich2
1Department of Prosthodontics, Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147, China; Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA.
Objective:
Non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) brush has been regarded as a promising technique to enhance dental interfacial bonding. However, the principal enhancement mechanisms have not been well identified. In this study, the effect of non-thermal plasmas on grafting of HEMA, a typical dental monomer, onto dentin collagen thin films was investigated.
Methods:
Human dentin was sectioned into 10-μm-thick films. After total demineralization in 0.5M EDTA solution for 30min, the dentin collagen films were water-rinsed, air-dried, treated with 35wt% HEMA aqueous solution. The films were then subject to plasma-exposure under a NTAP brush with different time (1-8min)/input power (5-15W). For comparison, the dentin collagen films were also treated with the above HEMA solution containing photo-initiators, then subject to light-curing. After plasma-exposure or light-curing, the HEMA-collagen films were rinsed in deionized water, and then examined by FTIR spectroscopy and TEM.
Results:
The FITR results indicated that plasma-exposure could induce significant HEMA grafting onto dentin collagen thin films. In contrast, light-curing led to no detectable interaction of HEMA with dentin collagen. Quantitative IR spectral analysis (i.e., 1720/3075 or 749/3075, HEMA/collagen ratios) further suggested that the grafting efficacy of HEMA onto the plasma-exposed collagen thin films strongly depended on the treatment time and input power of plasmas. TEM results indicated that plasma treatment did not alter collagen's banding structure.
Significance:
The current study provides deeper insight into the mechanism of dental adhesion enhancement induced by non-thermal plasmas treatment. The NTAP brush could be a promising method to create chemical bond between resin monomers and dentin collagen.
