ANTIMICROBIAL ABILITIES OF VARIOUS DENTIN BONDING AGENTS AND RESTORATIVE MATERIALS

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to observe and measure the i n vitro effect of various composite restorative materials and dentine bonding agents on the growth and adherence of oral bacteria believed t o be responsible for recurrent caries in humans and on micro-organisms commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of disinfecting agents. M ethods: Five sets of dentine bonding agents and composite resins and t en species of micro-organisms were used. Circular disc specimens of ea ch composite set were placed onto inoculated plates. Zones of growth i nhibition around specimens were measured after incubation. On other pl ates, specimens were placed alone for 48 h, removed, and then the micr o-organisms added. Also, the composite sets were placed into sterilize d bovine incisors and suspended into sucrose-containing broth inoculat ed with Streptococcus mutans for 3 days. Adhering materials were discl osed and scored. Results and conclusions: Four of the composites sets produced statistically similar (P > 0.05) inhibitory zones. The Gram-n egative rods and the Staphylococcus aureus were the most resistant mic ro-organisms. The five composites sets produced the same (P > 0.05) re duction in bacterial accumulation (> 60%). Aging of the specimens in w ater for periods up to 4 weeks prior to exposure to S. mutans did not affect product activity. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Scie nce Ltd.