Development of a Bioactive Flowable Resin Composite Containing a Zinc-Doped Phosphate-Based Glass

Abstract

Flowable resins used for dental restoration are subject to biofilm formation. Zinc has antibacterial properties. Thus, we prepared a zinc-doped phosphate-based glass (Zn-PBG) to dope a flowable resin and evaluated the antibacterial activity of the composite against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) to extrapolate the preventative effect toward secondary caries. The composites were prepared having 0 (control), 1.9, 3.8, and 5.4 wt.% Zn-PBG. The flexural strength, elastic modulus, microhardness, depth of cure, ion release, inhibition zone size, and number of colony-forming units were evaluated and analyzed using ANOVA. The flexural strength of the control was significantly higher than those of Zn-PBG samples (p < 0.05). However, all samples meet the International Standard, ISO 4049. The microhardness was not significantly different for the control group and 1.9 and 3.8 wt.% groups, but the 5.4 wt.% Zn-PBG group had a significantly lower microhardness (p < 0.05). Further, the composite resins increasingly released P, Ca, Na, and Zn ions with an increase in Zn-PBG content (p < 0.05). The colony-forming unit count revealed a significant reduction in S. mutans viability (p < 0.05) with increase in Zn-PBG content. Therefore, the addition of Zn-PBG to flowable composite resins enhances antibacterial activity and could aid the prevention of secondary caries.

Novel Bioactive Glass-Modified Hybrid Composite Resin: Mechanical Properties, Biocompatibility, and Antibacterial and Remineralizing Activity

“…Moreover, these antibacterial monomer/drug/metal oxide NPs have no remineralizing ability, largely impeding their development as composite resins ( Cocco et al, 2015 ; Arun et al, 2021 ). Recently, promising alternatives such as bioactive ceramic particles [e.g., calcium phosphate nanoparticles (NACPs), bioactive glass (BAG), zinc-doped phosphate-based glass] have been exploited as inorganic fillers to construct orthodontic adhesives or composite resins, which have been found to achieve both antibacterial and remineralizing effects ( Liu et al, 2018 ; Par et al, 2019b ; Bhadila et al, 2020 ; Lee et al, 2020 ). Among bioactive ceramic particles, BAG has attracted increasing interest in dental applications such as toothpaste, dentin desensitizers, orthodontic adhesives, and experimental composite resins ( Wang et al, 2010 ; Yang et al, 2016 ; Al-Eesa et al, 2019 ; Aponso et al, 2019 ; Par et al, 2019a ).…”

Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity Against Streptococcus mutans and Solubility of Different Dental Luting Cements In Vitro

“…X-ray fluorescence revealed that the zinc phosphate cement with the highest zinc oxide concentration had the largest zones of inhibition. In the literature, zinc oxide has been extensively studied for its ability to inhibit bacterial growth [19]. Other studies have found that zinc ions directly affect the bacterial proteins involved in transmembrane proton translocation.…”

Zinc-modified phosphate-based glass micro-filler improves Candida albicans resistance of auto-polymerized acrylic resin without altering mechanical performance

“…To eliminate C. albicans, both micro-llers and nano-llers have been proposed [21][22][23] . Among these inorganic materials, zinc ions, in particular, have been explored as an alternative to conventional antimicrobials in dental materials 24,25 .…”