Effects of quaternary ammonium-methacrylates on the mechanical properties of unfilled resins

Objectives: Adding antimicrobial/anti-MMP quaternary ammonium methacrylates (QAMs) to comonomer blends should not weaken the mechanical properties of dental resins. This work evaluated the degree conversion and mechanical properties of BisGMA/TEGDMA/HEMA (60:30:10) containing 0-15 mass% QAMs A-E (A:2-acryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride; B:[3-(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethylammonium chloride; C:[2-(methacryloxy)ethyl] trimethyl ammonium chloride; D:diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride; E:2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyltrimethyl ammonium methyl sulfate. Methods: Unfilled resins with and without QAM were placed on ATR-FTIR and light-polymerized for 20 s in a thin film t 30\ub0C. Unfilled resin beams were casted from square hollow glass tubings. Half of the beams were tested after 3 days of drying (control); the other half were tested wet after 3 days of water storage. Results: Addition of QAMs in control resins significantly increased conversion 600s after light termination, with the exception of 5% MAPTAC (p<0.05). Increase of QAM content within a formulation significantly increased conversion. Control beams gave dry Young's moduli of ~700 MPa. Addition of 5, 10 or 15 mass% QAMs produced significant reductions in dry Young's moduli except for 5% B or C. 15 mass% A, B and C lowered the wet Young's moduli of the resin beams by more than 30%. The ultimate tensile stress (UTS) of control dry resin was 89\ub111 MPa. Addition of 5-10 mass% QAMs had no adverse effect on the dry UTS. After water storage, the UTS of all resin blends fell significantly (p<0.05), especially when 15 wt% QAMs was significantly higher at 1.02\ub10.06 (p<0.05). KIC of dry beams varied from 0.85\ub10.08 at 5% QAMs to 15% QAMs. Significance: Addition of 10% QAMs increased the degree of conversion of unfilled resins, but lowered wet toughness and UTS; addition of 15% QAMs lowered the mechanical properties of wet resins below acceptable levels

Effect of phosphoric acid on the degradation of human dentin matrix.

This study determined if dentin proteases are denatured by phosphoric acid (PA) used in etch-and-rinse dentin adhesives. Dentin beams were completely demineralized with EDTA for 30 days. We "acid-etched" experimental groups by exposing the demineralized dentin beams to 1, 10, or 37 mass% PA for 15 sec or 15 min. Control beams were not exposed to PA but were incubated in simulated body fluid for 3 days to assay their total endogenous telopeptidase activity, by their ability to solubilize C-terminal crosslinked telopeptides ICTP and CTX from insoluble dentin collagen. Control beams released 6.1 \ub1 0.8 ng ICTP and 0.6 \ub1 0.1 ng CTX/mg dry-wt/3 days. Positive control beams pre-incubated in p-aminophenylmercuric acetate, a compound known to activate proMMPs, released about the same amount of ICTP peptides, but released significantly less CTX. Beams immersed in 1, 10, or 37 mass% PA for 15 sec or 15 min released amounts of ICTP and CTX similar to that released by the controls (p > 0.05). Beams incubated in galardin, an MMP inhibitor, or E-64, a cathepsin inhibitor, blocked most of the release of ICTP and CTX, respectively. It is concluded that PA does not denature endogenous MMP and cathepsin activities of dentin matrices