The Effect of Adding Slow-Release Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Containing Silver on the Antimicrobial and Mechanical Properties of Glass Ionomer Cement

Abstract

Introduction: Cements, such as glass ionomer cements, are commonly used as sealants between abutments and crowns. However, there is still a possibility of bacterial microleakage, which can lead to secondary caries and compromise the longevity of the restoration. The aim of this laboratory study was to investigate the effect of adding slow-release mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing silver on the antimicrobial and mechanical properties of glass ionomer cements. Materials and Methods: Glass ionomer cement (GC Fuji I / Itabashi-CHO, Tokyo, Japan)) was mixed with mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing silver. Mixing was continued until the materials were completely mixed. The microbroth dilution method was used to investigate the antibacterial effect of the nanoparticles and determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The disk diffusion method was used to evaluate the microbial activity of the nanoparticle-containing cements. For the dissolution test, the materials were prepared according to clause 7.12 of ISO 4049 and the dissolution test was performed on them. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the data. The t-test was used to compare the results between groups. GraphPad software version 9 was used to analyze the data. A probability value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The results of the one-way ANOVA test showed that there was a significant difference between the growth inhibition zones of the groups (P=0.001). Tukey's post hoc test showed that the cement group containing 5% nanoparticles had statistically more favorable results than the cement containing 3% (P=0.03) and 1% (P=0.01). The results of the one-way ANOVA test showed that there was a significant difference between the MIC of the groups (P=0.0001). Tukey's post hoc test showed that the cement group containing 5% nanoparticles had statistically better results than the cements containing 3% (P=0.001) and 1% (P=0.02). The results of the one-way ANOVA test showed that there was a significant difference between the MBC groups (P=0.0001). Tukey's post hoc test showed that the cement group containing 5% nanoparticles had statistically better results than the cements containing 3% (P=0.001) and 1% (P=0.0001). The results of the one-way ANOVA test showed that there was a significant difference between the MBIC groups (P=0.0001). Tukey's post hoc test showed that the cement group containing 5% nanoparticles had statistically better results than the cements containing 3% (P=0.001) and 1% (P=0.0001). Evaluation of the solubility and water absorption of cement containing slow-release mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing silver compared to cement without nanoparticles showed that there was no significant difference between the solubility results of cement without nanoparticles and cement containing nanoparticles (P=0.4). These results also showed that there was a significant difference between the water absorption results of cement without nanoparticles and cement containing nanoparticles (P=0.02) and the water absorption of cement containing nanoparticles was higher. Finally, the t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the flexural strength results of cement without nanoparticles and cement containing nanoparticles (P=0.7). Conclusion: Considering the favorable antimicrobial and anti-biofilm results of cement containing silica-silver nanoparticles as well as the favorable solubility and water absorption results and the lack of negative effect on flexural strength, this new material can be used in dental treatments. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the biocompatibility and other properties of this cement with a large number of samples in the animal and clinical phases to prove the functionality of this new material.