Antifungal Efficacy of a Permanent Silicon Soft Liner Containing Silver Nanoparticles

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antifungal efficacy of addition of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) to Mucopren® silicone soft liner material. Materials and Methods: Twenty disc samples (8 × 2 mm) of Mucopren® silicone soft liner containing 0wt% (control), 0.5wt%, 1wt%, 2wt%, and 3wt% SNPs were fabricated. Samples were powdered and added to 150 mL of Sabouraud dextrose agar culture medium and placed on separate culture dish plates. Each plate was inoculated with 10⁶ colony forming units per milliliter (CFUs/mL) of Candida albicans (PTCC 5027) according to the CLSI protocol, and incubated at 37℃. The colony count was verified at 24 h, and the antifungal effect of the samples was evaluated according to the percentage of viable cells in the 2 subgroups with/without thermocycling. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 via ANOVA and t-test (P<0.05). Results: All experimental groups showed higher antifungal activity than the control group, and this effect was dose-dependent (P<0.05). The lowest colony count was recorded in the 3wt% group. Thermocycling had no significant effect on the antifungal efficacy, except in 0.5wt% concentration of SNPs (P=0.013). Conclusion: Addition of SNPs to Mucopren soft liner conferred antifungal effects. Further mechanical stability and toxicity studies are still required.