Effects of pediatric syrups on surface roughness and Streptococcus mutans adhesion to restorative materials

To evaluate the effects of two commonly used pediatric medical syrups on the surface roughness and the adhesion of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) to three fluoride-releasing restorative materials: high-viscosity glass-ionomer, polyacid-modified resin composites, and giomer.

The 90 prepared specimens for surface roughness test and 90 specimens for microbial adhesion test were divided into three groups by simple random method for each material (n= 30) and then into three subgroups (n= 10) based on the immersion medium: Augmentin, Calpol, or distilled water. Specimens underwent twice-daily immersion for 2 minutes to simulate routine drug administration followed by storage in artificial saliva (pH 6.8), which was refreshed daily over a 14-day period. Surface roughness and S. mutans adhesion were measured before and after the immersion cycle. Mixed ANOVA was applied to examine the effects of the materials and solution subgroups on surface roughness within the time factor framework. Multiple linear regression was applied to investigate the effects of the materials and solution subgroups on microbial adhesion within the time factor framework. To evaluate the relationship between surface roughness and microbial retention, Spearman's correlation analysis was applied.

Augmentin caused a significant increase in surface roughness of polyacid-modified resin composites (P= 0.019), and giomer (P= 0.044), in addition Calpol caused a significant increase for polyacid-modified resin composites (P= 0.0148). High-viscosity glass ionomer had the greatest resistance to surface degradation. Augmentin consistently exhibited the highest microbial adhesion across all material groups except distilled water-GIC group. Calpol (P= 0.002) and distilled water (P< 0.001) also showed a significant increase in microbial adhesion. Giomer was the most resistant material to time-dependent microbial adhesion, whereas glass-ionomer was the most susceptible restorative material. An increase in surface roughness positively correlated with increased microbial adhesion in all material groups.

Exposure to pediatric medical syrups can negatively affect the surface integrity and lead to microbial adhesion to fluoride-releasing restorative materials. These effects vary depending on the material type and the syrup used, highlighting the importance of material selection in pediatric patients exposed to frequent liquid medication intake.