Bioinspired monomers for improved dental hard tissue-resin interfacial bonding

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The most employed treatment for decayed teeth is restoration with resin filling materials. Bonding agents are used to make resin fillings adhere to tooth. Resins are also used in cosmetic dentistry, crown cementation, and restorations of eroded teeth. Longevity of resin fillings is considered low with an average of 7 years. The replacement of resin fillings accounts for 75% of all procedures performed in general dentistry, of which 60% are due to failures at tooth-filling interface. This happens mainly because during bonding procedure it is essential that the tooth mineral is dissolved by acids exposing the organic component of the tooth. The organic component has enzymes that are secreted in a dormant form but get activated by acids, and once activated are able to self-degrade tooth structure. Attempts to improve the chemical composition of bonding agents, by adding naturally derived anti-enzymatic compounds (such as a catechin) to its formulations have been made. However, because such compounds are passively added to the bonding agents, they are also quickly released, limiting their activity. The overall objective of this research program is to develop and test three novel materials, where the catechin is chemically and permanently bound to the bonding agent. The objectives of this grant are: (1) To synthesize and characterize catechin modified dental adhesives; (2) To investigate mechanisms of anti-enzymatic activity produced by catechin modified dental adhesives; and (3) To evaluate long-term tooth to filling bond strength and tooth-resin interfacial integrity obtained by bonding agents based on modified dental adhesives. By perfecting the formulation of these novel materials through different challenges and tests we expect to considerably improve the success rates of dental filling procedures.