Development of an antimicrobial tissue conditioner with quaternary ammonium methacryloxy silane (K18): An in vitro study.

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of K18 quaternary ammonium methacryloxy silane (QAS) on tissue conditioner materials and their antimicrobial properties.

METHODS

30% K18 QAS in methyl methacrylate (MMA; K18-MMA; 0%, 15%, and 20% w/w) was incorporated into a commercial tissue conditioner (Coe comfort). The degree of curing (Shore A hardness), hydrophilicity (contact angle), flow, liquid sorption, mass loss, and antimicrobial properties of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Candida albicans were determined. Statistical analysis included analysis of variance with Tukey HSD and Kruskal-Wallis with Bonferroni correction.

RESULTS

Hardness increased significantly at higher K18-MMA concentrations. The contact angles did not differ between the groups. Although the control and K18-containing tissue conditioner flow decreased significantly at each successive time point and with increasing K18 QAS MMA concentration, the flow was still within the ISO 10139-1 specifications for class 2 (high-flow) soft lining materials until 2 min 30 s. The highest liquid sorption happened between 1 and 4 weeks. The controls absorbed more acid than water or base, and the K18 groups absorbed more water and acid than base. With increasing K18-MMA concentration, the mass loss increased at all times and in all three media, except in base, after 4 weeks. Both 15% and 20% K18-MMA showed significant antimicrobial activity against S. mutans, S. sanguinis, and C. albicans.

CONCLUSIONS

K18-MMA imparted significant antimicrobial properties to tissue conditioners against S. mutans, S. sanguinis, and C. albicans without compromising the flow, hardness, or hydrophilicity. However, K18-MMA addition led to increased water sorption and mass loss after 4 weeks.