Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, are using neutron scattering to study how nanoparticles with antibacterial properties can be added to adhesive resins, which are used to strengthen the bond between a tooth and its polymer composite filling.
“The adhesive layer applied by a dentist prior to filling a cavity is fundamental to the success of the restoration, because the polymer materials used in fillings can promote the growth of biofilms,” said Fernando Luis Esteban Florez, DDS, MSc, PhD, of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
“Also, tiny imperfections in the adhesive surface can lead to early-stage cracking that also contributes to the failure of restorations,” said Esteban Florez, adding that an adhesive resin ideally would have antibacterial properties and support the growth of dentin to help eliminate small gaps in the adhesive layer.
Working with Adam Rondinone, PhD, of ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Esteban Florez and his colleagues developed an experimental dental adhesive resin containing modified nanoscale titanium dioxide (N_TiO2) particles.
The researchers studied samples of the adhesive resin using small-angle neutron scanning at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to determine the optimal shape, modifications, and dispersion of the particles.
“In creating the adhesive resin, we modified the surface of the N_TiO2 nanoparticles with silanes and proteins to improve both the function of the nanoparticles within the polymer matrix and the ability of these materials to establish covalent bonds to a tooth’s naturally occurring proteins,” said Rondinone.
“The benefit of using the Bio-SANS beamline instrument at HFIR is that the neutrons can tell us how the proteins bond to the N_TiO2 and how the particles disperse,” said Rondinone.
Early results show the nanoparticles disperse well and are compatible with the adhesive resin, a commercially available brand commonly used by dentists. Other experiments have shown that the new adhesive resin exhibits active, on-demand antibacterial activity when irradiated by visible light and passive, on-contact antibacterial effects even in darkness.
Such a dual capability could enable a dentist to use light to jumpstart the adhesive’s antimicrobial activity before filling the cavity, and afterward, the adhesive would serve as a long-term, contact-based antibacterial barrier, the researchers said.
One of the next steps for the researchers is to use neutron scattering to evaluate the nanoparticles for potential bioactivity, including the ability to promote self-assembly of natural tooth material adjacent to the restoration.
“Studies have shown that nanoparticles can initiate the growth of crystalline structures and guide them to become chemically bound to teeth,” said Esteban Florez.
“We plan to functionalize our N_TiO2 particles to produce crystals of hydroxyapatite, the primary component of dentin, which could promote the growth of the dentin layer to minimize gaps at the adhesive interface,” said Esteban Florez.
“Thanks to the user program at ORNL, even someone like me, a dentist with limited training in advanced scientific technologies, can test a hypothesis with the help of some of the top scientists in the field, while using world-class neutron scattering facilities,” Esteban Florez said.
“Together, hopefully, we can soon offer dentists a new and better tool that will give their patients longer lasting smiles,” Esteban Florez said.
Related Articles
Nanoparticles Break Up Plaque and Prevent Tooth Decay
HfO2 Nanoparticles Identify and Eliminate S Mutans
Nanoparticles Help Fillings Fight Bacteria and Improve Durability
