Peptide-Enabled Nanocomposites Offer Biomimetic Reconstruction of Silver Diamine Fluoride-Treated Dental Tissues

Caries is the most ubiquitous infectious disease of mankind, and early childhood caries (ECC) is the most prevalent chronic disease in children worldwide, with the resulting destruction of the teeth recognized as a global health crisis. Recent the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in dentistry offers a safe, accessible, and inexpensive approach to arrest caries progression in children with ECC. However, discoloration, i.e., black staining, of demineralized or cavitated surfaces treated with SDF has limited its widespread use. Targeting SDF-treated tooth surfaces, we developed a biohybrid calcium phosphate nanocomposite interface building upon the self-assembly of synthetic biomimetic peptides. Here, an engineered bifunctional peptide composed of a silver binding peptide (AgBP) is covalently joined to an amelogenin derived peptide (ADP). The AgBP provides anchoring to the SDF-treated tooth tissue, while the ADP promotes rapid formation of a calcium phosphate isomorph nanocomposite mimicking the biomineralization function of the amelogenin protein. Our results demonstrate that the bifunctional peptide was effective in remineralizing the biomineral destroyed by caries on the SDF-treated tooth tissues. The proposed engineered peptide approach offers a biomimetic path for remineralization of the SDF-treated tissues producing a calcium phosphate nanocomposite interface competent to be restored using commonly available adhesive dental composites.