OBJECTIVE: To study microstructure, friction and wear behaviors of silicon-lithium spray coating on the surface of zirconia ceramics and to preliminarily evaluate its esthetic so as to provide support and guidance for the clinical application. METHODS: Zirconia ceramic specimens were randomly divided into three groups: coating group (two subgroups), polishing group (two subgroups), and glazing group (four subgroups), with 10 samples in each subgroup. The two subgroups of coating group were the zirconia ceramics with the untreated and preliminary polishing surfaces sprayed with silicon-lithium coating, respectively. The two subgroups of polishing group were preliminary polishing and fine polishing of zirconia ceramics, respectively. The four subgroups of glazing group were preliminarily polished zirconia ceramics glazed with Biomic and Stain/Glaze products, respectively; and untreated zirconia ceramics glazed with Biomic and Stain/Glaze products, respectively. The above 8 subgroups of zirconia ceramic specimens were used as friction pairs with 80 steatite ceramics for 50 000 chewing cycles under 50 N vertical load and artificial saliva lubrication using chewing simulation. Scanning electron microscope was used to observe the microstructure of the surface and section of the coating group, and the thickness of the coating and glazing were measured. The linear roughness of the coating and polishing groups was mea-sured using a laser confocal scanning microscope. Vickers hardness was measured using a microhardness tester and the esthetic of zirconia ceramic full crown sprayed with silicon-lithium coating was preliminarily evaluated. White light interferometer was used to measure the width, the maximum depth and the volume of the wear scars of each group, and the wear depth of steatite ceramics and wear rate of zirconia ceramic specimens were calculated. Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test and Dunn's multiple comparisons test were used to analyze the wear depth of each group (α=0.05). RESULTS: The microstructures of the silica-lithium spray coatings on the untreated and preliminarily polished zirconia ceramic surfaces showed the protruding defects, and the line roughness of coating group was larger than that of the polishing group. The median thickness of the silica-lithium spray coating on the preliminarily polished zirconia ceramic was 13.0 μm (interquartile range, IQR: 11.6, 17.9), while that of the silica-lithium spray coating on the untreated zirconia ceramic was 4.4 μm (IQR: 4.1, 4.7). The Vickers hardness and wear rate of the coating group were between the polishing group and the glazing group. The wear depths of the wear scars of steatite ceramics were the glazing group, coating group, and polishing group in descending order, and there was statistically significant difference between glazing and polishing groups (P < 0.05). With the increase of polishing procedure, the wear depth of steatite ceramics decreased in each subgroups. The orders of maximum depth and volume of wear scars of zirconia ceramic were the glazing group, coating group, and polishing group in descending order, and there was statistically significant difference in the maximum depth of wear scars between glazing and polishing groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The silica-lithium spray coating on the zirconia ceramic, can be used as a new method for zirconia ceramic surface treatment, because it can increase the esthetic of zirconia ceramics compared with polishing and reduce the wear of steatite ceramics compared with glazing.
Humans ; Silicon ; Materials Testing ; Friction ; Lithium ; Cicatrix ; Surface Properties ; Silicon Dioxide ; Zirconium/chemistry* ; Ceramics ; Dental Porcelain

The existing dentin bonding systems based on acid-etching technique lead to the loss of both extrafibrillar and intrafibrillar minerals from dentin collagen, causing excessive demineralization. Because resin monomers can not infiltrate the intrafibrillar spaces of demineralized collagen matrix, degradation of exposed collagen and resin hydrolysis subsequently occur within the hybrid layer, which seriously jeopardizing the longevity of resin-dentin bonding. Collagen extrafibrillar demineralization can effectively avoid the structural defects within the resin-dentin interface caused by acid-etching technique and improve the durability of resin-dentin bonding, by preserving intrafibrillar minerals and selectively demineralizing extrafibrillar dentin. The mechanism and research progress of collagen extrafibrillar demineralization in dentin bonding are reviewed in the paper.
Humans ; Collagen ; Dental Bonding ; Dentin/chemistry* ; Dentin-Bonding Agents/chemistry* ; Materials Testing ; Minerals ; Resin Cements/chemistry* ; Tooth Demineralization

Objective: To fabricate TiO₂ nanotube material functionalized by antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and to explore its effects on biological behaviors such as adhesion and migration of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and its antibacterial properties. Methods: The TiO₂ nanotube array (NT) was constructed on the surface of polished titanium (PT) by anodization, and the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 was loaded on the surface of TiO₂ nanotube (LL-37/NT) by physical adsorption. Three samples were selected by simple random sampling in each group. Surface morphology, roughness, hydrophilicity and release characteristics of LL-37 of the samples were analyzed with a field emission scanning electron microscope, an atomic force microscope, a contact angle measuring device and a microplate absorbance reader. HaCaT cells were respectively cultured on the surface of three groups of titanium samples. Each group had 3 replicates. The morphology of cell was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. The number of cell adhesion was observed by cellular immunofluorescence staining. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to detect cell proliferation. Wound scratch assay was used to observe the migration of HaCaT. The above experiments were used to evaluate the effect of each group on the biological behavior of HaCaT cells. To evaluate their antibacterial effects, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) was respectively inoculated on the surface of three groups of titanium samples. Each group had 3 replicates. The morphology of bacteria was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. Bacterial viability was determined by live/dead bacterial staining. Results: A uniform array of nanotubes could be seen on the surface of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group, and the top of the tube was covered with granular LL-37. Compared with PT group [the roughness was (2.30±0.18) nm, the contact angle was 71.8°±1.7°], the roughness [(20.40±3.10) and (19.10±4.11) nm] and hydrophilicity (the contact angles were 22.4°±3.1° and 25.3°±2.2°, respectively) of titanium samples increased in NT and LL-37/NT group (P<0.001). The results of in vitro release test showed that the release of antimicrobial peptide LL-37 was characterized by early sudden release (1-4 h) and long-term (1-7 d) slow release. With the immunofluorescence, more cell attachment was found on NT and LL-37/NT than that on PT at the first 0.5 and 2.0 h of culture (P<0.05). The results of CCK-8 showed that there was no significant difference in the proliferation of cells among groups at 1, 3 and 5 days after culture. Wound scratch assay showed that compared with PT and NT group, the cell moved fastest on the surface of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group at 24 h of culture [(96.4±4.9)%] (F=35.55, P<0.001). A monolayer cells could be formed and filled with the scratch in 24 h at LL-37/NT group. The results of bacterial test in vitro showed that compared with the PT group, the bacterial morphology in the NT and LL-37/NT groups was significantly wrinkled, and obvious bacterial rupture could be seen on the surface of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group. The results of bacteria staining showed that the green fluorescence intensity of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group was the lowest in all groups (F=66.54,P<0.001). Conclusions: LL-37/NT is beneficial to the adhesion and migration of HaCaT cells and has excellent antibacterial properties, this provides a new strategy for the optimal design of implant neck materials.
Humans ; Titanium/chemistry* ; Antimicrobial Peptides ; Cathelicidins ; Sincalide ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Nanotubes/chemistry* ; Dental Materials ; Bacteria ; Keratinocytes ; Surface Properties

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to remove occlusal veneers of varied thicknesses and compositions by Er:Yag laser in vitro and analyze the interfacial microstructure between veneers and tooth that irradiated by laser, by which experimental evidence could be provided to support the non-invasive removal of occlusal veneerby laser. METHODS: Fresh mandibular premolars extracted for orthodontic requirements were collected for tooth preparation. Three kinds of ceramic materials (Vita Suprinity, Vita Mark Ⅱ, and Upcera Hyramic) were selected to fabricate occlusal veneer with different thicknesses (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mm). One week later, Er:Yag laser (2.5 W and 3.5 W) was used to irradiate and remove the occlusal veneer and recorded the timespan. After the removal operation, the micro-morphologies of samples were examined by scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: Upcera Hyramic veneer failed to be removed (>20 min); the operation span at 2.5 W, Vita Suprinity (96.0 s±16.0 s) was longer than Vita MarkⅡ(84.5 s±19.5 s) in the 1.0 mm group (P<0.05), and Vita Suprinity (246.5 s±13.5 s) was longer than Vita MarkⅡ(170.0 s±14.0 s) in the 1.5 mm group (P<0.05). At 3.5 W, Vita Suprinity (381.0 s±24.0 s) was longer than Vita MarkⅡ(341.5 s±26.5 s) in the 2.0 mm group. CONCLUSIONS Increasing laser power could shorten the operation span and facilitate the removal of occlusal veneers with the same thickness and composition. The occlusal veneer was sustained when insufficient laser power was applied. With the same laser power and ceramic thickness, laser penetration could interfere with the integral of the ceramic structure when the laser interacted with the bonding layer. With the same ceramic composition and laser power, the operation span and laser power increased with the thickness of the occlusal veneer. However, the laser was incapable of removing occlusal resin veneer directly.
Lasers, Solid-State ; Materials Testing ; Dental Porcelain/chemistry* ; Ceramics/chemistry* ; Bicuspid ; Dental Veneers

Silk fibroin (SF) as a natural biopolymer has become a popular material for biomedical applications due to its minimal immunogenicity, tunable biodegradability, and high biocompatibility. Nowadays, various techniques have been developed for the applications of SF in bioengineering. Most of the literature reviews focus on the SF-based biomaterials and their different forms of applications such as films, hydrogels, and scaffolds. SF is also valuable as a coating on other substrate materials for biomedicine; however, there are few reviews related to SF-coated biomaterials. Thus, in this review, we focused on the surface modification of biomaterials using SF coatings, demonstrated their various preparation methods on substrate materials, and introduced the latest procedures. The diverse applications of SF coatings for biomedicine are discussed, including bone, ligament, skin, mucosa, and nerve regeneration, and dental implant surface modification. SF coating is conducive to inducing cell adhesion and migration, promoting hydroxyapatite (HA) deposition and matrix mineralization, and inhibiting the Notch signaling pathway, making it a promising strategy for bone regeneration. In addition, SF-coated composite scaffolds can be considered prospective candidates for ligament regeneration after injury. SF coating has been proven to enhance the mechanical properties of the substrate material, and render integral stability to the dressing material during the regeneration of skin and mucosa. Moreover, SF coating is a potential strategy to accelerate nerve regeneration due to its dielectric properties, mechanical flexibility, and angiogenesis promotion effect. In addition, SF coating is an effective and popular means for dental implant surface modification to promote osteogenesis around implants made of different materials. Thus, this review can be of great benefit for further improvements in SF-coated biomaterials, and will undoubtedly contribute to clinical transformation in the future.
Biocompatible Materials/chemistry* ; Silk/chemistry* ; Fibroins/pharmacology* ; Dental Implants ; Osteogenesis ; Tissue Scaffolds/chemistry* ; Tissue Engineering/methods*

OBJECTIVES: This work aimed to synthesize a novel injectable alginate impression material and evaluate its accuracy. METHODS: Certain proportions of sodium alginate, trisodium phosphate dodecahydrate, potassium fluorotitanate, diatomaceous earth, and other ingredients were dissolved in water and mixed evenly with a planetary centrifugal mixer to obtain a certain viscosity base paste. Certain proportions of calcium sulfate hemihydrate, magnesium oxide, glycerin, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 were mixed evenly with a planetary centrifugal mixer to obtain the reactor paste with the same viscosity as the base paste. The base and reactor pastes were poured into a two-cylinder cartridge at a 2∶1 volume ratio. A gun device was used to accomplish mixing by compressing materials into a mixing tip. The samples were divided into three groups: injectable alginate impression materials (IA group) as the experimental group, and Jeltrate alginate impression materials (JA group) and Silagum-putty/light addition silicone rubber impression materials (SI group) as the two control groups. RESULTS: Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the injectable alginate impression materials had a denser structure and fewer bubbles than the commercial alginate impression material. The accuracy of the three kinds of impression materials was evaluated by 3D image superposition. The deviations between the three test group models and the standard model (trueness) were 49.58 μm±1.453 μm (IA group), 54.75 μm±7.264 μm (JA group), and 30.92 μm±1.013 μm (SI group). The deviations of the models within each test group (precision) were 85.79 μm±8.191 μm (IA group), 97.65 μm±11.060 μm (JA group), and 56.51 μm±4.995 μm (SI group). Significant differences in trueness and precision were found among the three kinds of impression materials (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The accuracy of the new injectable alginate impression material was better than that of the traditional powder-type alginate impression material but worse than that of the addition silicone rubber impression materials. The novel injec-table alginate impression material demonstrated good operation performance and impression accuracy, showing broad application prospect.
Alginates/chemistry* ; Silicone Elastomers/chemistry* ; Dental Impression Materials/chemistry* ; Powders

Objective: To evaluate the effect of shear bond strength between resin cement and zirconia using SiO₂-ZrO₂ slurry coating. Methods: One hundred and forty pre-sintered zirconia discs were randomly divided into seven groups (n=20) according to the surface treatments: AS (as-sintered), SB (sand blasting with Al₂O₃), 2SiO₂-1ZrO₂ (2∶1 mole ratio SiO₂-ZrO₂ coating), 1SiO₂-1ZrO₂ (mole ratio 1∶1 SiO₂-ZrO₂ coating), 1SiO₂-2ZrO₂ (mole ratio 1∶2 SiO₂-ZrO₂ coating), 1SiO₂-3ZrO₂ (mole ratio 1∶3 SiO₂-ZrO₂ coating), 1SiO₂-4ZrO₂ (mole ratio 1∶4 SiO₂-ZrO₂ coating). Each zirconia disc was bonded to composite resin cylinder using resin cement. All specimens were stored in distilled water (37 ℃, 24 h). Each group was divided into two subgroups in which half specimens were tested using universal testing machine and another half specimens accepted artificial aging of 5 000 times thermocycling then tested. Scaning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the micro-morphology of coating surface etched by hydrofluoric acid,then the coating thickness was measured. Results: Before artificial aging, 1SiO₂-1ZrO₂ showed a higher shear bond strength [(41.69±6.28) MPa] than all the other group (P<0.05). 1SiO₂-2ZrO₂ gained a higher strength than AS, SB, 1SiO₂-3ZrO₂ and 1SiO₂-4ZrO₂ (P<0.05). However, 1SiO₂-2ZrO₂ did not get a significant higher shear bond strength than 2SiO₂-1ZrO₂ (P>0.05). No significant differences were found among SB, 2SiO₂-1ZrO₂ and 1SiO₂-3ZrO₂ (P>0.05). After artificial aging, shear bond strength of all groups were decreased significantly besides 2SiO₂-1ZrO₂. 2SiO₂-1ZrO₂, 1SiO₂-1ZrO₂ and 1SiO₂-2ZrO₂ [(24.13±5.50), (22.28±4.40), (23.11±4.80) MPa] showed higher shear bond strength than SB and 1SiO₂-3ZrO₂ (P<0.05),no intergroup differences were observed (P>0.05). Shear bond strength of AS and 1SiO₂-4ZrO₂ fell to 0 MPa approximately. The SEM images of etched coating surface showed contraction fissure due to different thermal expansion coefficient between SiO₂ and ZrO₂ and intercrystal pores of zirconia. The thickness of coating was measured to be less than 30 μm. Conclusions: Mole ratio 1∶1 SiO₂-1ZrO₂ slurry coating showed the highest shear bond strength of resin cement to zirconia.
Dental Bonding ; Materials Testing ; Resin Cements/chemistry* ; Silicon Dioxide ; Surface Properties ; Zirconium

Zirconia is widely used in the field of dentistry because of its superior mechanical and esthetic characteristics. However, the tetragonal zirconia polycrystal restorations commonly used in clinics will degrade at low temperatures in the oral environment, resulting in increased surface roughness, microcracks, and decreased mechanical properties. Low-temperature degradation of zirconia can be affected by grain size, stress, stabilizer content and type, surface treatment, sintering conditions, and other factors. Through a literature review and analysis, this review summarizes the research progress on the low-temperature degradation of zirconia in prosthetic dentistry to provide references for the improvement of zirconia in clinical and research applications.
Ceramics ; Dental Materials ; Esthetics, Dental ; Materials Testing ; Prosthodontics ; Surface Properties ; Temperature ; Yttrium/chemistry* ; Zirconium

Objective: To evaluate the effects of pre-sintering heating rate and powder size on dental recycled zirconia. Methods: Recycled zirconia powders were sieved to obtain the large (50 μm With the same particle size, the recycled zirconia pre-sintered at different heating rates showed no significant differences in the relative densities, and the open porosities (P>0.05). When the pre-sintering heating rates were 2 ℃/min, 5 ℃/min, and 8 ℃/min, the flexural strengths of the large-particle recycled zirconia were (421.2±54.7), (444.2±70.1) and (427.5±68.4) MPa, the flexural strengths of the small-particle recycled zirconia were (750.1±74.1), (777.2±95.5) and (746.7±73.0) MPa, respectively. The flexural strength of commercial zirconia was (988.4±129.8) MPa. The flexural strengths of the recycled zirconia were significantly lower than that of the commercial zirconia (P<0.05). At the same pre-sintering heating rate, the flexural strengths of the small-particle recycled zirconia were significantly higher than that of the large-particle recycled zirconia (P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with the large particles, small-particle recycled zirconia powders can effectively improve the properties of recycled zirconia, while the pre-sintering heating rate has no effect on the properties of the recycled zirconia.
Ceramics ; Dental Materials/chemistry* ; Heating ; Materials Testing ; Powders ; Surface Properties ; Yttrium ; Zirconium

Biofilms at the tooth-restoration bonded interface can produce acids and cause recurrent caries. Recurrent caries is a primary reason for restoration failures. The objectives of this study were to synthesize a novel bioactive dental bonding agent containing dimethylaminohexadecyl methacrylate (DMAHDM) and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) to inhibit biofilm formation at the tooth-restoration margin and to investigate the effects of water-aging for 6 months on the dentin bond strength and protein-repellent and antibacterial durability. A protein-repellent agent (MPC) and antibacterial agent (DMAHDM) were added to a Scotchbond multi-purpose (SBMP) primer and adhesive. Specimens were stored in water at 37 °C for 1, 30, 90, or 180 days (d). At the end of each time period, the dentin bond strength and protein-repellent and antibacterial properties were evaluated. Protein attachment onto resin specimens was measured by the micro-bicinchoninic acid approach. A dental plaque microcosm biofilm model was used to test the biofilm response. The SBMP + MPC + DMAHDM group showed no decline in dentin bond strength after water-aging for 6 months, which was significantly higher than that of the control (P < 0.05). The SBMP + MPC + DMAHDM group had protein adhesion that was only 1/20 of that of the SBMP control (P < 0.05). Incorporation of MPC and DMAHDM into SBMP provided a synergistic effect on biofilm reduction. The antibacterial effect and resistance to protein adsorption exhibited no decrease from 1 to 180 d (P > 0.1). In conclusion, a bonding agent with MPC and DMAHDM achieved a durable dentin bond strength and long-term resistance to proteins and oral bacteria. The novel dental bonding agent is promising for applications in preventive and restorative dentistry to reduce biofilm formation at the tooth-restoration margin.
Anti-Infective Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; Dental Bonding ; Dentin-Bonding Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Materials Testing ; Methacrylates ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Phosphorylcholine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Resin Cements ; Shear Strength ; Surface Properties ; Water