Prevention of intrusion of natural teeth surrounded by freestanding implants.

Intrusion is frequently observed as a complication associated with tooth-implant-supported prostheses: the natural tooth that serves as an abutment moves apically and out of occlusion. However, intrusion of teeth proximal to implants has yet to be reported in the literature. In this manuscript, three presentations of tooth intrusion proximal to implants are reported; potential causes of the phenomenon are discussed; and a potential treatment for patients experiencing this condition is presented. Intrusion of teeth surrounded by freestanding implants is a rare phenomenon, a cause of which may be excessively tight proximal contacts that are below the height of contour of adjacent implants. Alleviating these contacts enables the intruded tooth to erupt back and should be considered a viable treatment option.

Alkaloids and Selected Topics in Their Thermochemistry.

Alkaloid chemistry is varied and complex. Many alkaloids attract a great deal of interest because of their physiological activity, yet surprisingly little is known about the thermochemistry of these compounds, especially in the gas phase. In this paper, we investigate the thermochemical characteristics, specifically demethoxylation enthalpies rather than those derived from trans-methoxylation reactions, of a series of biologically relevant alkaloids in their condensed phase.

Different kinetic pathways of early stage calcium-phosphate cluster aggregation induced by carboxylate-containing polymers.

Acidic proteins are critical to biomineral formation, although their precise mechanistic function remains poorly understood. A number of recent studies have suggested a nonclassical mineralization model that emphasizes the importance of the formation of polymer-stabilized mineral clusters or particles; however, it has been difficult to characterize the precursors experimentally due to their transient nature. Here, we successfully captured stepwise evolution of transient CaP clusters in mineralizing solutions and studied the roles of functional polymers with laser light scattering (LLS) to determine how these polymers influence the stability of nanoclusters. We found that the polymer structure can alter CaP aggregation mechanisms, whereas the polymer concentration strongly influences the rate of CaP aggregation. Our results indicate that the ability of acidic biomolecules to control the formation of relatively stable nanoclusters in the early stages may be critical for intrafibrillar mineralization. More importantly, LLS provided information about the size and the structural evolution of CaP aggregates, which will help define the process of controlled biomineralization.

Synthesis and characterization of dimethacrylates containing quaternary ammonium functionalities for dental applications.

OBJECTIVES: The widespread incidence of recurrent caries highlights the need for improved dental restorative materials. The objective of this study was to synthesize low viscosity ionic dimethacrylate monomers (IDMAs) that contain quaternary ammoniums groups (antimicrobial functionalities) and are compatible with existing dental dimethacrylate-based monomers. Such monomers have the potential to copolymerize with other methacrylate monomers and produce antibacterial polymers. METHODS: Two monomers (IDMA-1 and IDMA-2) were synthesized using the Menschutkin reaction and incorporated at 0-30% (by mass) into a 1:1 (by mass) bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (BisGMA):triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) resin. Resin viscosity was quantified using rheology, and polymer degree of conversion (DC) and surface charge density were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and fluorescein binding, respectively. Effects of IDMA-1 on initial attachment of Streptococcus mutans and on viability and metabolic activity (via reductase enzymes) of RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells were quantified. RESULTS: IDMA-1 and IDMA-2 were prepared and characterized. IDMA-1 was miscible with BisGMA:TEGDMA and slightly increased the resin viscosity and DC. As expected, polymeric surface charge density increased with increasing IDMA-1. Incorporation of 10% IDMA-1 into BisGMA:TEGDMA reduced bacterial colonization without affecting viability or metabolic activity of mammalian cells. Increasing IDMA-1 up to 30% had no additional effect on bacterial coverage, but ≥20% IDMA-1 significantly reduced macrophage density, viability, and metabolic activity. Leachables from polymers containing IDMA-1 were not cytotoxic. SIGNIFICANCE: The Menschutkin reaction provides a facile, convenient means to synthesize new monomers with quaternary ammonium groups for dental and medical applications.

Cooperative calcium phosphate nucleation within collagen fibrils.

Although "chaperone molecules" rich in negatively charged residues (i.e., glutamic and aspartic acid) are known to play important roles in the biomineralization process, the precise mechanism by which type I collagen acquires intrafibrillar mineral via these chaperone molecules remains unknown. This study demonstrates a mechanism of cooperative nucleation in which three key components (collagen, chaperone molecules, and Ca(2+) and PO(4)(3-)) interact simultaneously. The mineralization of collagen under conditions in which collagen was exposed to pAsp, Ca(2+), and PO(4)(3-) simultaneously or pretreated with the chaperone molecule (in this case, poly(aspartic acid)) before any exposure to the mineralizing solution was compared to deduce the mineralization mechanism. Depending on the exact conditions, intrafibrillar mineral formation could be reduced or even eliminated through pretreatment with the chaperone molecule. Through the use of a fluorescently tagged polymer, it was determined that the adsorption of the chaperone molecule to the collagen surface retarded further adsorption of subsequent molecules, explaining the reduced mineralization rate in pretreated samples. This finding is significant because it indicates that chaperone molecules must interact simultaneously with the ions in solution and collagen for biomimetic mineralization to occur and that the rate of mineralization is highly dependent upon the interaction of collagen with its environment.

In situ formation of silver nanoparticles in photocrosslinking polymers.

Nanocomposites of cross-linked methacrylate polymers with silver nanoparticles have been synthesized by coupling photoinitiated free radical polymerization of dimethacrylates with in situ silver ion reduction. A polymerizable methacrylate bearing a secondary amino functional group was used to increase the solubility of the silver salt in the hydrophobic resin system. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the silver ion reduction had no significant effect on the degree of vinyl conversion of the methacrylate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements showed an increased silver concentration at the composite surface compared to the expected concentration based on the total amount of silver salt added. Furthermore, the surface silver concentration leveled off when the silver salt mass fractions were 0.08% or greater. Composites with low concentrations of silver salt (< 0.08% by mass) exhibited comparable mechanical properties to those containing no silver. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the silver nanoparticles formed within the polymer matrix were nanocrystalline in nature and primarily ≈ 3 nm in diameter, with some large particle aggregates. Composites containing silver nanoparticles were shown to reduce bacterial colonization with as little as 0.03% (by mass) silver salt, while additional amounts of silver salt did not further decrease their surface colonization. With a substantial effect on bacterial growth and minimal effects on mechanical properties, the in situ formation of silver nanoparticles within methacrylate materials is a promising technique for synthesizing antibacterial nanocomposites for biomedical applications.

Effects of sample preparation on bacterial colonization of polymers.

Characterization of materials developed for medical usage frequently includes studies in which the materials are inoculated with bacteria in order to assess bacterial colonization and biofilm formation. Observed differences in bacterial growth are typically considered to be due to the material or the incubation conditions. To our knowledge, the method used to prepare the materials has generally not been considered with regard to its influence on bacterial colonization. The objective of this study was to determine the effects that various preparation methods exert on bacterial colonization of polymer disks. Polymer disks of the same dimethacrylate composition were photopolymerized: (1) between untreated glass slides, (2) between polyester release film, (3) between glass slides treated with an alkyl silane, (4) between glass slides treated with a perfluorinated silane, or (5) with one free surface in an argon-purged chamber. Surface chemistry was quantified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, hydrophobicity was assessed by water contact angle, and topography was characterized using atomic force microscopy. The disks were inoculated with Streptococcus mutans for 4 h, fixed, and visualized using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Differences among all groups were found with regard to surface chemistry, hydrophobicity, topography, and bacteria morphology, density, and coverage, indicating that the method of sample preparation strongly affects both the surface properties and the initial bacterial colonization. Polymerization on untreated slides was selected as the preferred method of preparation due to minimal material transfer to the polymer and consistent, reproducible bacterial colonization.

Evaluation of dental composite shrinkage and leakage in extracted teeth using X-ray microcomputed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: Use X-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT), to test the hypothesis that composite shrinkage and sites of potential leakage in human teeth are non-uniformly distributed and depend on cavity geometry and C-factor. METHODS: Two holes of equal volume but different dimensions were drilled into the exposed dentin of extracted human molars. The cavities were filled with composite and teeth were scanned, before and after curing, using microCT. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of the data were prepared and analyzed using image analysis software. RESULTS: 3D reconstructions showed that cavity geometry did not affect the polymerization shrinkage. The shrinkage for all restorations was 2.66+/-0.59%, and cavity dimensions did not affect the volume lost, either in quantity or location on the sample. Potential leakage sites were identified by gap formations and found to be non-uniformly distributed along the tooth-composite interface. Leakage in regions calculated by microCT was confirmed by visualization of sectioned samples with confocal laser scanning microscopy. SIGNIFICANCE: microCT evaluation will add tremendous value as part of a suite of tests to characterize various properties of dental materials. The non-uniform distribution of potential leakage sites about the cavities that was determined by microCT emphasizes the inadequacy of traditional methods of determining leakage, which are capable of analyzing only limited areas. Additionally, microCT evaluation can produce quantitative analyses of shrinkage and leakage, compared to the conventional methods, which are qualitative or semi-quantitative. Finally, experimentally determined shrinkage and leakage of composite in extracted teeth agrees with the results of similar experiments in model cavities, confirming the validity of those models.

A low-cost density reference phantom for computed tomography.

The authors characterized a commercially available foam composed of polyurethane and polyisocyanurate which is marketed for modeling parts in the aircraft, automotive, and related industries. The authors found that the foam may be suitable for use as a density reference standard in the range below -400 Hounsfield units. This range is coincident with the density of lung tissue. The foam may be helpful in making the diagnosis of lung disease more systematic.