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Antibacterial Dental Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 396

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: dental materials; biomimetic materials; glass ionomer cements; adhesion; biomimetic procedures
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The main clinical problem of contemporary restorative dental materials is secondary caries development around and under restorations. The reason for this lies in interspace micro-leakage allowing bacteria to enter and develop demineralization and adhere on restorations. Micro-leakage occurs due to the polymerization shrinkage of materials and low mechanical properties that compromise the adhesion of dental materials. To overcome this problem, many different antibacterial agents are tested but very few show limited clinical efficacy, like benzalconium chloride, chlorhexidine, quaternary ammonium methacrylates like MDPB, and filler particles (e.g., silver nanoparticles). Conventional GIC materials show no micro-leakage and if the material is intact there is strong antibacterial, anticariogenic, and mineralization action. A problem of this type of restorative material is lower mechanical properties, which could be solved with the thermo-curing technique.

Another problem in the field of implant dentistry that also falls within the scope of dental materials is peri-implantitis around dental implants. Several strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion and plaque accumulation around implants, like the surface treatment of implants, antifouling agents, and different types of implant coating agents to prevent adhesion and kill bacteria, are proposed. Different strategies for the development of restorative and implant materials, and also techniques of their application, should be further evaluated to prevent secondary caries and peri-implantitis. Clinical studies are mandatory in order to prove laboratory-designed properties. I am therefore pleased to invite you to submit new studies on different aspects of antibacterial agents with anticariogenic and periodontal action.

Prof. Dr. Domagoj Glavina
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antibacterial agents
  • quaternary ammonium
  • composites
  • glass ionomer cements (GICs)
  • ceramic materials
  • adhesion
  • implant surface treatment
  • antifouling agents

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4297 KiB  
Article
Bioactivity of Glass Carbomer Versus Conventional GICs in Sound Enamel and Dentine: A 12-Month SEM-EDS Study
by Dubravka Turjanski, Suzana Jakovljević, Dragutin Lisjak, Petra Bučević Sojčić, Fran Glavina, Kristina Goršeta and Domagoj Glavina
Materials 2025, 18(15), 3580; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18153580 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 338
Abstract
Glass ionomer cements (GICs) are bioactive restorative materials valued for their sustained ion release and remineralisation capacity. However, their long-term interactions with sound enamel and dentine remain underexplored. This 12-month in vitro study aimed to evaluate microstructural and compositional changes in sound dental [...] Read more.
Glass ionomer cements (GICs) are bioactive restorative materials valued for their sustained ion release and remineralisation capacity. However, their long-term interactions with sound enamel and dentine remain underexplored. This 12-month in vitro study aimed to evaluate microstructural and compositional changes in sound dental tissues adjacent to four GICs—Ketac Universal, Fuji IX and Equia Forte Fil (conventional GICs) and the advanced Glass Carbomer (incorporating hydroxyapatite nanoparticles)—using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Glass Carbomer uniquely formed hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and mineralised regions indicative of active biomineralisation—features not observed with conventional GICs. It also demonstrated greater fluoride uptake into dentine and higher silicon incorporation in both enamel and dentine. Conventional GICs exhibited filler particle dissolution and mineral deposition within the matrix over time; among them, Equia Forte released the most fluoride while Fuji IX released the most strontium. Notably, ion uptake was consistently higher in dentine than in enamel for all materials. These findings indicate that Glass Carbomer possesses superior bioactivity and mineralising potential which may contribute to the reinforcement of sound dental tissues and the prevention of demineralisation. However, further in vivo studies are required to confirm these effects under physiological conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibacterial Dental Materials)
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