Responsive antimicrobial dental adhesive based on drug-silica co-assembled particles

Most dental resin composite restorations are replacements for failing restorations. Degradation of the restoration-tooth margins by cariogenic bacteria results in recurrent caries, a leading cause for restoration failure. Incorporating antimicrobial agents in dental adhesives could reduce interfacial bacterial count and reduce recurrent caries rates, inhibit interfacial degradation, and prolong restoration service life, while minimizing systemic exposure. Direct addition of antimicrobial compounds into restorative materials have limited release periods and could affect the integrity of the material. Attempts to incorporate antimicrobial within mesoporous silica nanoparticles showed theoretical promise due to their physical robustness and large available internal volume, yet yielded short-term burst release and limited therapeutic payload. We have developed novel broad-spectrum antimicrobial drug-silica particles co-assembled for long-term release and high payload incorporated into dental adhesives. The release of the drug, octenidine dihydrochloride, is modulated by the oral degradative environment and mathematically modeled to predict effective service life. Steady-state release kills cariogenic bacteria, preventing biofilm formation over the adhesive surface, with no toxicity. This novel material could extend dental restoration service life and may be applied to other long-term medical device-tissue interfaces for responsive drug release upon bacterial infection.

This study describes a novel dental adhesive that includes a broad-spectrum antimicrobial drug-silica co-assembled particles for long-term antimicrobial effect. The release of the drug, octenidine dihydrochloride, is modulated by the oral degradative environment and mathematically modeled to predict effective release throughout the service life of the restoration. Steady-state drug-release kills caries-forming bacteria, preventing biofilm formation over the adhesive surface, without toxicity. This novel material could extend dental restoration service life and may be applied to other long-term medical device-tissue interfaces for responsive drug release upon bacterial infection. Since recurrent cavities (caries) caused by bacteria are the major reason for dental filling failure, this development represents a significant contribution to the biomaterials field in methodology and material performance.