Antimicrobial Fillers

About

Background Numerous dental restoratives and adhesives today are composed of polymer resin or filler-based composite materials. However, bacterial adhesion and the formation of biofilms has limited the lifetime of these restoratives and adhesives. Various methods have been studied to formulate improved materials for these applications, including the addition of monomeric organic antimicrobial agents, inorganic nanoparticles, or quaternary ammonium-containing monomers, but none have shown considerable advancement Technology UMass Lowell researchers have developed a method to achieve a potent, long-term, and non-leeching antimicrobial fillers for dental composites and adhesives utilizing silver sulfadiazine- inorganic filler conjugates. The sulfadiazine is first covalently attached to onto conventional inorganic fillers, such as glass powders and cotton cellulose, to produce sulfadiazine-filler conjugates. The sulfadiazine-filler conjugates are then reacted with silver sources, such as a silver nitrate aqueous solution, to form silver sulfadiazine-inorganic filler conjugates. The final filler conjugates are added to dental composite or adhesive formulations to achieve long-lasting antimicrobial effects in an easy to us manner. Advantages The covalently bonded antimicrobial agents will not leech away. Silver component provides potent antimicrobial effects and is safe to use in dental applications. Silver-sulfadiazine displays no discoloration over time. Medical practitioners are able to use the same instruments and procedures as before, making this new filler composite easy to use.