Chlorhexidine-releasing methacrylate dental composite materials

Light curable antibacterial, dental composite restoration materials, consisting of 80 wt% of a strontium fluoroaluminosilicate glass dispersed in methacrylate monomers have been produced. The monomers contained 40–100 wt% of a 10 wt% chlorhexidine diacetate (CHXA) in hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) solution and 60–0 wt% of a 50/50 mix of urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA). On raising HEMA content, light cure polymerisation rates decreased. Conversely, water sorption induced swelling and rates of diffusion controlled CHXA release from the set materials increased. Experimental composites with 50 and 90 wt% of the CHXA in HEMA solution in the monomer were shown, within a constant depth film fermentor (CDFF), to have slower rates of biofilm growth on their surfaces between 1 and 7 days than the commercial dental composite Z250 or fluoride-releasing dental cements, Fuji II LC and Fuji IX. When an excavated bovine dentine cylinder re-filled with Z250 was placed for 10 weeks in the CDFF, both bacteria and polymers from the artificial saliva penetrated between the material and dentine. With the 50 wt% experimental HEMA/CHXA formulation, this bacterial microleakage was substantially reduced. Polymer leakage, however, still occurred. Both polymer and bacterial microleakage were prevented with a 90 wt% HEMA/CHXA restoration in the bovine dentine due to swelling compensation for polymerisation shrinkage in combination with antibacterial release.