Mechanical properties of dental resin composites by co-filling diatomite and nanosized silica particles

Nanotechnology for Dentistry: Prospects and Applications

In the XXI century, application of nanostructures in oral medicine has become common. In oral medicine, using nanostructures for the treatment of dental caries constitutes a great challenge. There are extensive studies on the implementation of nanomaterials to dental composites in order to improve their properties, e.g., their adhesive strength. Moreover, nanostructures are helpful in dental implant applications as well as in maxillofacial surgery for accelerated healing, promoting osseointegration, and others. Dental personal care products are an important part of oral medicine where nanomaterials are increasingly used, e.g., toothpaste for hypersensitivity. Nowadays, nanoparticles such as macrocycles are used in different formulations for early cancer diagnosis in the oral area. Cancer of the oral cavity-human squamous carcinoma-is the sixth leading cause of death. Detection in the early stage offers the best chance at total cure. Along with diagnosis, macrocycles are used for photodynamic mechanism-based treatments, which possess many advantages, such as protecting healthy tissues and producing good cosmetic results. Application of nanostructures in medicine carries potential risks, like long-term influence of toxicity on body, which need to be studied further. The introduction and development of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials are no longer part of a hypothetical future, but an increasingly important element of today's medicine.

Diatomaceous earth as a drug-loaded carrier in a glass-ionomer cement

The effect of a natural filler (diatomaceous earth [DE], a promising drug-delivery agent) and its content was investigated on the performance of a model glass-ionomer cement (GIC). Three sample series, differing in DE content (0, 2.5 and 5 wt%), were prepared using a commercial GIC as a matrix (3M Ketac Molar Easymix). The resultant surface microhardness and roughness, wear performance, and compressive strength of the samples were measured after the samples had been stored in deionized water at 37°C for a fixed time. Moreover, the film thickness was tested for the freshly mixed samples. The numerical data was subjected to statistical analysis, in order to test the null hypotheses of the equality of the measured properties between the reference and the DE-modified samples. According to the results, diatomaceous earth particles are uniformly distributed in the GIC matrix, and the cavities of frustules tend to be filled with the GIC. This translates into the observed performance of the DE-loaded GIC. Compared with the reference material (0 wt% DE), the surface microhardness (2.5 wt% DE, p = 0.014; 5 wt% DE, p = 0.005) and roughness (e.g. Ra; 2.5 wt% DE, p = 0.003; 5 wt% DE, p < 0.001) are increased. No effect on the wear performance (p = 0.530 and 0.256, respectively) or compressive strength (p = 0.514) was noticed in the case of DE partially substituting the glass phase. Based on the study results, it is evidenced that diatom frustules are a suitable filler for application in conventional glass-ionomer cements as the glass-substituting drug-loaded carrier. Notably, however, the surface finish method of the DE-filled materials needs development.

Preparation of Ca doped wrinkled porous silica (Ca-WPS) for the improvement of apatite formation and mechanical properties of dental resins

The purpose of this work was to fabricate and characterize Ca doped wrinkled porous silica (Ca-WPS), and evaluate their effect on the mineralization and mechanical properties of resin composites as functional fillers. Ca-WPS were prepared by sol-gel method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and N₂ adsorption-desorption measurements. The mineralization properties of the prepared Ca-WPS particles and the resin composites with different amount of Ca-WPS were evaluated by simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion method. The mechanical properties (flexural strength, flexural modulus, compressive strength and microhardness) of the dental resins containing unimodal Ca-WPS fillers and bimodal Ca-WPS fillers with nonporous silica were evaluated by a universal testing machine. Results showed that after immersing in SBF for 5 d, apatite formed on the surface of Ca-WPS and composites containing Ca-WPS fillers, indicating the excellent mineralization property of the prepared Ca-WPS. The mechanical properties of the dental resins increase with the increase of the proportion of unimodal Ca-WPS fillers. The dental resins with bimodal Ca-WPS fillers showed better mechanical properties than the group with only nonporous fillers at the same filler loading (60 wt%). Among all the samples, the dental composites filled with bimodal fillers (mass ratio of Ca-WPS: nonporous silica = 10:50, total filler loading 60 wt%) exhibited the best mechanical performance. The flexural strength, flexural modulus, compressive strength and microhardness of these samples were 26.96%, 42.75%, 16.04% and 54.1% higher than the composites with solid silica particles alone, respectively. Thus, the prepared Ca-WPS could effectively improve the apatite formation and mechanical properties of resin composites.

Influence of Different Beverages on the Color Stability of Nanocomposite Denture Base Materials

BACKGROUND

The effect of beverages on nanocomposite denture base materials is neglected. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of different beverages (coffee, tea, cola, and mineral water) on the color stability of nanoparticles-modified denture base materials (DBMs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 280 specimens (n = 10/group) were prepared from heat-polymerized acrylic resin modified with different concentrations (3% and 7%) of zirconium dioxide (nano-ZrO2), titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2), and silicon dioxide (nano-SiO2) nanoparticles, while 0% was taken as a control. Color change (∆E) of the specimens was evaluated after simulating 6-month immersion time in four commonly used beverages, coffee, tea, cola, and mineral water, as experimental groups. Color stability was measured using a spectrophotometer, and then values were converted to National Bureau of Standards units (NBS units). The one-way ANOVA test was applied to compare color change (ΔE) results followed by Bonferroni's post hoc test (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

The results showed that the heat-polymerized acrylic resin modified with different types of nanoparticles showed lower color changes after being immersed in beverage solutions compared to the unmodified group (P < 0.001), so the color stability of heat-polymerized acrylic resin was significantly enhanced by the addition of several nanoparticles; nano-ZrO2 showed the lowest ΔE followed by nano-TiO2 and then nano-SiO2. Regardless of the filler type, 3% concentration showed lower mean ΔE than 7% concentration. Regarding the beverage solutions, the greatest color change was found in the coffee group followed by tea and cola, while water showed the least changes.

CONCLUSION

Modification of heat-polymerized acrylic resin with certain amounts of nano-ZrO2, nano-TiO2, and nano-SiO2 may be useful in improving color stability.

Improving the Physical-Mechanical Property of Dental Composites by Grafting Methacrylate-Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane onto a Filler Surface

Endowing dental composites with excellent interfacial bonding through filler surface modification is pivotal to improve the physical-mechanical property and prolong the life of composite fillings. In this study, methacrylate-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (MA-POSS) acts as a "molecular bridge" between the commonly used SiO₂ particles and the methacrylate-based resin matrix via a thiol-ene click reaction to construct MA-POSS/SiO₂ (p-SiO₂) hybrid particles. Synthesized p-SiO₂ exhibited the roughest surface morphology and had more polymerizable groups, in comparison with SiO₂ and silanized SiO₂. Furthermore, the p-SiO₂ particles were used as a reinforcement to fabricate bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate/tri(ethyleneglycol) dimethacrylate-based dental composites, where the SiO₂- and silanized SiO₂-filled composites served as the control groups, and the filler loading was fixed at 65 wt %. Results of the mechanical properties indicated that the hybrid p-SiO₂ particles significantly improved the flexural strength, flexural modulus, compressive strength, and work of fracture of dental composites, giving improvements of 251.2, 17.89, 122.3, and 1094%, respectively, over the SiO₂-filled composites due to the strong interfacial interaction between the resin matrix and p-SiO₂. Additionally, this optimal p-SiO₂-loaded composite also presented better polymerization shrinkage, acceptable degree of conversion, curing depth, and cell viability. Grafting of MA-POSS onto a filler surface is a promising filler surface modification to improve the resin matrix/filler interfacial interaction, leading to the enhanced overall performance of composites.

Size-controllable synthesis of dendritic porous silica as reinforcing fillers for dental composites

OBJECTIVE

Porous materials, especially porous silica particles are of great interest in different areas, and have applied in dental composites as inorganic fillers, due to their potential in constructing micromechanical interlocking at the filler-resin matrix interfaces. However, the facile and precise synthesis of hierarchical porous silica with graded sizes is still a great challenge.

METHODS

Here, we synthesized dendritic porous silica (DPS) with center-radial hierarchical pores and controllable size ranging from 75 to 1000nm by varying simultaneously the amounts of silica precursor and template in the microemulsion. A plausible nucleation-growth mechanism for the structural formation and the size tunability of the DPS particles was further put forward. These DPS particles were then formulated with Bis-GMA/TEGDMA resin.

RESULTS

The particle size and morphology influenced the mechanical properties of dental composites. Particularly, DPS-500 particles (average size: 500nm) exhibited the superior reinforcing effect, giving large improvements of 32.0, 96.7, 51.9, and 225.6% for flexural strength (S_F), flexural modulus (E_Y), compressive strength (S_C), and work of fracture (WOF), respectively, over the DPS-75 filled composite. All DPS filler sized exhibited similar degree of conversions and curing depths. Furthermore, the DPS-500 filled composite presented better cytocompatibility than commercial Z250 XT.

SIGNIFICANCE

The facile synthesis of DPS particles developed here and the understanding of the influence of the filler size and morphology on the composite properties provide a shortcut to design porous silica with precise size control and dental composites with superior performance. These DPS particles could also have promising applications in biomedicine, catalysis, adsorption, and cancer therapy.

Review of titanate coupling agents and their application for dental composite fabrication

Silane is a dominant coupler that is widely used in dentistry to promote adhesion among the components of dental composites. Silica-based fillers can be easily silanized because of their similarly ordered structure. However, silane is hydrolytically degraded in the aqueous oral environment and inefficiently bonds to non-silica fillers. Thus, the development of hydrolytically stable dental composites is an important objective in the research on dental materials. Titanate coupling agents (TCAs) exhibit satisfactory interfacial bonding, enhanced homogeneous filler dispersion, and improved mechanical properties of the composites. Titanates also provide superior hydrolytic stability in wet environments, which should be considered in fabricating dental composites. The addition of a small amount of titanates can improve the resistance of the composites to moisture. This paper reviews the effects of the instability of silanes in moisture on the performance of dental composites and presents TCAs as alternative couplers to silanes for fabricating dental composites.

Correlating cytotoxicity to elution behaviors of composite resins in term of curing kinetic

Cytotoxicity of photocurable composite resins is a key issue for their safe use in dental restoration. Curing kinetic and elution behaviors of the composite resin would have decisive effects on its cytotoxicity. In this study, composite resins composed of bisphenol-glycidyl dimethacrylate (Bis-GMA), triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), camphorquinone (CQ), N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and barium glass powders were prepared by setting the photoinitiators CQ/DMAEMA at 0.5wt%, 1wt% or 3wt% of the total weight of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA. The ratio of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA was 6:4, the ratio of CQ/DMAEMA was 1:1, and the incorporated inorganic powder was 75wt%. Then, curing kinetics were studied by using real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and photo-DSC (differential scanning calorimeter). Elution behaviors in both ethanol solution and deionized water were monitored by using liquid chromatogram/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Cytotoxicity was evaluated by in vitro culture of L929 fibroblasts. Finally, they were all analyzed and correlated in terms of initiator contents. It was found that the commonly used 0.5wt% of photoinitiators was somewhat insufficient in obtaining composite resin with low cytotoxicity.

Improved performance of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA dental composites by net-like structures formed from SiO2 nanofiber fillers

The major objective of this study was to explore the effects of silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanofibers on the performance of 2, 2-bis-[4-(methacryloxypropoxy)-phenyl]-propane (Bis-GMA)/tri-(ethyleneglycol) dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) dental composites. At first, the mechanical properties of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA (50/50, w/w) resins containing different contents of SiO2 nanofibers were evaluated to identify the appropriate composition to achieve the significant reinforcing effect. Secondly, optimized contents (5 or 10wt.%) of SiO2 nanofibers were mixed into resins together with SiO2 microparticles, which was 60wt.% of the resin. Controls for comparison were Bis-GMA/TEGDMA resins containing only SiO2 microparticles (60wt.%) or with additional SiO2 nanoparticles (5 or 10wt.%). Properties including abrasion, polymerization shrinkage and mechanical properties were evaluated to determine the contribution of SiO2 nanofibers. In comparison with SiO2 nanoparticles, SiO2 nanofibers improved the overall performance of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA composite resins, especially in improving abrasion resistance and decreasing polymerization shrinkage. The explanations were that one-dimensional SiO2 nanofibers were able to shield particular fillers from being abraded off, and able to form a kind of overlapped fibrous network to resist polymerization shrinkage. With these approaches, SiO2 nanofiber-containing Bis-GMA composite resins were envisioned a promising choice to achieve long-term durable restorations in clinical therapies.

Investigation on the physical-mechanical properties of dental resin composites reinforced with novel bimodal silica nanostructures

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of bimodal silica nanostructures comprising of SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs, ~70 nm) and SiO2 nanoclusters (SiO2 NCs, 0.07-2.70 μm) on physical-mechanical properties of resin-based composites (RBCs). SiO2 NPs and SiO2 NCs were prepared with the Stöber method and the coupling reaction, respectively, then silanized and employed as fillers to construct RBCs using a mixture of bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (Bis-GMA) and tri(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) as the organic matrix. Results showed that the properties of RBCs were influenced by the filler ratios of bimodal silica nanostructures, and the appropriate amount of SiO2 NPs could effectively increase the activating light efficiency and filler packing density of RBCs. Among all experimental RBCs, RBC 50-20 (SiO2 NPs:SiO2 NCs=50:20, wt/wt) presented the highest degree of conversion (71.6±1.1%), the lowest polymerization shrinkage (2.6±0.1%), and the enhanced flexural strength (104.8±4.4 MPa), flexural modulus (6.2±0.3 GPa), and compressive strength (205.8±14.3 MPa), which were improved by 44%, 19%, 28%, 48%, and 42% in comparison with those of RBC 0-60 (SiO2 NPs:SiO2 NCs=0:60, wt/wt), respectively. Besides, in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of RBC 50-20 indicated its acceptable cytotoxicity. Although the best performance was achieved by commercial Z350 XT, the introduction of bimodal silica nanostructures might provide the enhanced physical-mechanical properties of RBCs, compared with those of RBC 0-60 reinforced with unimodal SiO2 NCs.

Polymer grafted hydroxyapatite whisker as a filler for dental composite resin with enhanced physical and mechanical properties

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of surface graft polymerization of hydroxyapatite whisker (HW) on physical and mechanical properties of dental composite resin. Poly bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate (Poly(Bis-GMA)) was grafted onto silanized hydroxyapatite whisker (SHW) via solution polymerization and the amount of the Poly(Bis-GMA) on the surface was effectively controlled by polymerization time. The obtained poly(Bis-GMA) grafted hydroxyapatite whisker (PGHW) with different polymer contents was filled into a resin matrix respectively, meanwhile the composites with HW and with SHW served as controls. Monomer conversion was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and volume shrinkage of the composite resin was measured with a density tester. Mechanical properties were tested with a universal testing machine. The results indicated that the composite filled with PGHW-1h (graft ratio of poly(Bis-GMA): 8.5 wt.%) showed lower shrinkage and better mechanical properties, improving flexural strength by 6.5% and 11.9% compared with SHW filled composite and HW filled composite, respectively. However, PGHW with higher graft ratios aggregated seriously and formed defects in the composite, leading to deterioration of mechanical properties. It was revealed that the poly(Bis-GMA) on the surface of PGHW acted as a functional transition layer and enhanced interfacial compatibility and interaction between whisker and resin matrix, which facilitated the dispersion of PGHW in the composite and decreased the composite shrinkage. Thus, the graft polymerization of Bis-GMA on the surface of filler might be a promising modification method for the fabrication of dental materials.

Wear behavior of light-cured resin composites with bimodal silica nanostructures as fillers

To enhance wear behavior of resin composites, bimodal silica nanostructures including silica nanoparticles and silica nanoclusters were prepared and proposed as fillers. The silica nanoclusters, a combination of individually dispersed silica nanoparticles and their agglomerations, with size distribution of 0.07-2.70 μm, were fabricated by the coupling reaction between amino and epoxy functionalized silica nanoparticles, which were obtained by the surface modification of silica nanoparticles (~70 nm) using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) and 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GPS) as coupling agents, respectively. Silica nanoparticles and nanoclusters were then silanized with 3-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane (γ-MPS) to prepare composites by mixing with bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (Bis-GMA) and tri (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (TEGDMA). Experimental composites with various filler compositions were prepared and their wear behaviors were assessed in this work. The results suggested that composites with increasing addition of silica nanoparticles in co-fillers possessed lower wear volume and smoother worn surface. Particularly, the composite 53:17 with the optimum weight ratio of silica nanoparticles and silica nanoclusters presented the excellent wear behavior with respect to that of the commercial Esthet-X, although the smallest wear volume was achieved by Z350 XT. The introduction of bimodal silica nanostructures as fillers might provide a new sight for the design of resin composites with significantly improved wear resistance.