Antibacterial dental adhesive resins containing nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles

Abstract The development of dental adhesive resins with long-lasting antibacterial properties is a possible solution to overcome the problem of secondary caries in modern adhesive dentistry. Objectives (i) Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles (N_TiO 2 ), (ii) topographical, compositional and wettability characterization of thin-films (unaltered and experimental) and, (iii) antibacterial efficacy of N_TiO 2 -containing dental adhesives against Streptococcus mutans biofilms. Materials and methods Nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized using different techniques. Specimens (diameter = 12 mm, thickness ≅ 15 μm) of OptiBond Solo Plus (Kerr Corp., USA) and experimental adhesives [50, 67 and 80% (v/v)] were fabricated, photopolymerized (1000 mW/cm 2 , 1 min) and UV-sterilized (254 nm, 800,000 μJ/cm 2 ) for microscopy, spectroscopy, wettability and antibacterial testing. Wettability was assessed with a contact angle goniometer by dispensing water droplets (2 μL) onto four random locations of each specimen (16 drops/group). Drop profiles were recorded (1 min, 25 frames/s, 37 °C) and contact angles were calculated at time = 0 s (θ INITIAL ) and time = 59 s (θ FINAL ). Antibacterial testing was performed by growing S. mutans (UA159-ldh, JM10) biofilms for either 3 or 24 h (anaerobic conditions, 37 °C) with or without continuous light irradiation (410 ± 10 nm, 3 h = 38.75 J/cm 2 , 24 h = 310.07 J/cm 2 ) against the surfaces of sterile specimens. Results N_TiO 2 was successfully prepared using solvothermal methods. Doped-nanoparticles displayed higher light absorption levels when compared to undoped titania. Experimental adhesives demonstrated superior antibacterial efficacy in dark conditions. Conclusions The findings presented herein suggest that N_TiO 2 is a feasible antibacterial agent against cariogenic biofilms.