Dental News - Adhesives developed to prevent orthodontic white spot lesions on teeth

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 25. January 2018

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VALENCIA, Spain: Without proper oral care, white spot lesions due to demineralisation from plaque build-up often appear on teeth after the removal of orthodontic brackets. According to a study by researchers from Spain, the UK and Brazil, that problem could be addressed by recently developed adhesive materials that will reportedly prevent them from appearing at all.

The three new types of experimental adhesives were developed by researchers at the dentistry department of the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera in Valencia, in collaboration with King’s College London Dental Institute in the UK and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre in Brazil. The materials contained nanotubes of the bioactive mineral halloysite loaded with triclosan, a strong antibacterial and fungicidal agent, in concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 per cent in a resin blend.

Comparing the efficacy of three dental adhesives, with bactericidal and enamel remineralisation properties, the study evaluated the materials’ enamel bond strength, polymerisation rate, and antibacterial and bioactivity characteristics. The last reportedly prevents demineralisation of teeth and promotes remineralisation, avoiding white spot lesions.

According to the study results, the experimental materials tested in the laboratory demonstrated an ability to stop bacterial proliferation in the 24 hours after their use; however, the mixture with the highest percentage of triclosan maintained the property after 72 hours. Regarding the remineralisation effect, all three materials proved to be effective two weeks after their use in dental enamel samples submerged in experimental saliva. Concerning mechanical properties, incorporation of the triclosan-loaded halloysite tubes increased polymerisation without interfering with the immediate bonding properties.

One of two head researchers, Prof. Salvatore Sauro told Dental Tribune International, “The next step we have to face now is to organise in vivo clinical trials to evaluate whether the excellent results we obtained in vitro can be translated to a clinical scenario. Once we have accomplished this, then we can start thinking about some sort of strategies for the distribution and commercialisation of our materials.”

The study, titled “Polymerisation, antibacterial and bioactivity properties of experimental orthodontic adhesives containing triclosan-loaded halloysite nanotubes”, was published in the Journal of Dentistry on 7 November 2017.