Novel Dimethacrylates with Quaternary Ammonium Functionalities for Reduced Bacteria Adhesion

Published

April 1, 2010

Author(s)

Nancy Lin, Joseph M. Antonucci, Diana N. Zeiger, Kathy Tang, Bruce O. Fowler, Sheng Lin-Gibson

Abstract

Biofilm growth and secondary caries have resulted in the failure of many dental composite restorations. One approach to address this issue is the modification of dental materials to reduce bacterial adhesion and biofilm growth. Quaternary ammonium salts have been shown to reduce bacterial growth in many applications1 and have the potential to do so in the oral environment. Our objective was to synthesize and characterize an ionic dimethacrylate (IDMA) containing a quaternary ammonium functionality for the purpose of reduced bacterial growth while retaining desirable physical properties of the monomer, including miscibility with other common dental monomers. Using the simple Menschutkin reaction, an ionic dimethacrylate (IDMA-1) with a quaternary ammonium group, low viscosity, and high miscibility with other dimethacrylates was synthesized. The incorporation of IDMA-1 into dimethacrylate polymers reduced initial bacterial adhesion and had an effect on early biofilm structure. However, IDMA-1 concentrations ≥ 20 % (by mass) were cytotoxic to mammalian cells. Therefore, IDMA-1 concentrations ≤ 10% are recommended for cell-contacting applications to reduce toxicity to mammalian cells while still retaining reduced initial bacterial growth. Additional studies are needed to investigate the viability of the bacteria colonization on the IDMA-1 samples and to quantify differences in biofilm growth due to IDMA-1.

Conference Dates

April 21-24, 2010

Conference Location

Seattle, WA, US

Conference Title

Society for Biomaterials 2010 Annual Meeting

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

antibacteria, bacteria, cytotoxicity, dental monomers, dimethacrylate, macrophages, quaternary ammonium, S. mutans, Dentistry

Citation

Lin, N. , Antonucci, J. , Zeiger, D. , Tang, K. , Fowler, B. and Lin-Gibson, S. (2010), Novel Dimethacrylates with Quaternary Ammonium Functionalities for Reduced Bacteria Adhesion, Society for Biomaterials 2010 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, US (Accessed October 22, 2025)