Effect of dentin surface modification using carbon nanotubes on dental bonding and antibacterial ability

This study developed carbon nanotube coatings for the dentin surface and investigated the bonding strength and the in vitro antibacterial properties of carbon nanotube-coated dentin. Single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes were first modified and then characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscopy. Second, dentin samples were coated using either single-walled carbon nanotubes or multi-walled carbon nanotubes and observed under a scanning electron microscope. Then, the shear bonding strength and antibacterial properties of the dentin samples were tested. The results showed that both modified single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes formed a stable coating on the dentin surface without affecting the shear bonding strength. Moreover, the antibacterial properties of the single-walled carbon nanotube-coated samples was obviously superior to those of the multi-walled carbon nanotube-coated samples. Consequently, single-walled carbon nanotube coating may be an antibacterial agent for potential application in the dental bonding field.