Bioactive Glass Empowered Mineralizable Hydrogel for Effective Dentinal Tubule Occlusion

Dentin hypersensitivity (DH) arises from exposure of dentinal tubules, and tubular occlusion is regarded as the most effective therapy. Bioactive glasses (BGs) that can produce hydroxyapatite (HAp) minerals through reacting with saliva provide a potential opportunity for sustainable tubular occlusion. Although effective, the promotion of BGs in DH treatment has been long suffering from their poor maneuverability in practice. Here we employ a pH neutral BGs composed of a ternary Ca-P-Si system, denoted as PSC, and integrate it into a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel to construct a composite system that achieves stable tubular occlusion through induced HAp formation. The hydrogel is composed of a nanofibrous network prepared by a two-step solvent exchange process, thus robustly anchoring the PSC particles to extend its intraoral retention. Its favorable aqueous permeability guarantees a free yet effective transportation of mineral precursors. In addition, the composite hydrogel preserves rapid mineralization activity, inducing HAp formation and efficiently occluding exposed tubules in vitro. These features position the composite hydrogel as a promising minimally invasive strategy for durable management of DH.