Antimicrobial Dental Devices and Waterlines

描述（由申请人提供）：牙科供水管道的细菌污染是现代牙科的一个主要问题，可能导致免疫系统受损的牙科患者感染。这包括癌症、糖尿病或艾滋病患者；在牙科治疗前经常需要预防性抗生素的心脏病患者；老人、小孩和孕妇。牙科水管中的细菌含量可以达到美国牙科协会推荐的安全上限的5000倍。美国牙科协会和疾病控制中心都提倡定期进行感染控制程序，对输水管道进行消毒。目前的消毒方法（长时间冲洗、每日排水、过滤器和化学消毒剂）需要定期维护和使用，这在繁忙的牙科诊所可能不可行。细菌通常居住在生物膜中，这是一种致密粘稠的细胞外基质，其中大多数细菌处于休眠代谢状态。这些休眠细菌通常不受传统抗生素的影响。常规的牙齿线消毒剂很少能去除生物膜。一个更有说服力的解决方案是首先阻止生物膜的形成。在第一期STTR项目中，我们将研究用于牙科水管管腔的硒基抗菌涂层的可行性。硒作为超氧化物自由基的催化发生器，杀死细菌。硒可以共价结合到水管的内部，并可能永久地抑制生物膜的发育。我们将开发聚氨酯牙科管的涂层方法，并测试管道样品涂层的连续性和稳定性。我们还将确定涂层密度与抗菌功效之间的关系。最后，我们将在铜绿假单胞菌的流动细胞实验中评估涂层管的效果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Bacterial contamination of Dental water lines is a major concern in modern Dentistry and may cause infection in Dental patients with compromised immune systems. This includes patients with cancer, diabetes, or AIDS; cardiac patients who often require prophylactic antibiotics prior to Dental treatment; the elderly, young children, and pregnant women. Bacterial levels in Dental water lines can reach 5000 times the American Dental Association's recommended upper limit for safety. Both the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control advocate regular infection control procedures to disinfect the waterlines. Current disinfection methods (prolonged flushing, daily draining, filters, and chemical disinfectants) require regular maintenance and application, which may be impracticable in a busy Dental practice. Bacteria often reside in a biofilm, a dense slimy extracellular matrix in where the majority of bacteria are in a dormant metabolic state. These dormant bacteria are often unaffected by conventional antibiotics. Regular Dental line disinfectants rarely remove the biofilm. A more compelling solution would be to prevent biofilm formation in the first place. In this Phase I STTR project, we will examine the feasibility of a selenium-based antibacterial coating for the lumen of Dental waterlines. Selenium acts as a catalytic generator of superoxide radicals, which kill the bacteria. Selenium can be covalently bound to the interior of the water line tubing and can potentially permanently inhibit biofilm development. We will develop coating methods for polyurethane Dental tubing and test tubing samples for coating continuity and stability. We will also determine the relationship between coating density and antimicrobial efficacy. Finally, we will assess the efficacy of the coated tubing in flow cell experiments using Pseudomonas aeruginosa.