Novel Dental Adhesives to Prevent Recurrent Caries



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Bacterial related marginal decay is the top reason for failure and retreatment of resin based composite restorations (RBCs). Retreatment of these restorations costs both the patients and insurance companies billions of dollars per year. The weak point of the system is the zone known as the hybrid layer, where the adhesive bonds the RBC to the dentin. There are currently no adhesives on the market showing or claiming long-term therapeutic effectiveness at preventing this marginal breakdown. CuRE Innovations has successfully fabricated and patented copper iodide particles polymerized with polyacrylic acid (PAA-CuI) that are designed to impart long-term antimicrobial characteristics to dental adhesives and other resin based dental technologies. Preliminary data indicate that this additive has sustained antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans with similar efficacy at the one-year mark when compared to the immediate results. Specifically, we observed that the addition of PAA-CuI inhibits/kills >99.9% of S. mutans and this ability is sustained for up to 1 year, which was the endpoint for the preliminary testing. The limit of bactericidal capacity for products currently on the market is 14 days. Furthermore, this antimicrobial activity was observed with no evidence of cytotoxicity or negative effects on shear bond strength. For the PAA-CuI additive to have true clinical and commercial potential, CuRE needs to confirm the bactericidal capability of it against a wider range of cariogenic bacteria, show that it is capableof preventing marginal decay around RBCs, and confirm that it has no adverse effects on long- term bond integrity. These goals summarize the aims of this proposal, and if positive, could significantly advance the field of dental adhesive technology by inhibiting the formation of recurrent decay and extending the lifespan of RBCs. These results will justify further studies focusing on gaining FDA clearance, scaling production, and a human clinical trial.