The use of nanoparticles (NPs) has become a significant area of research in Dentistry. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the physical, antibacterial activity and bond strength properties of conventional base, core build and restorative of glass ionomer cement (GIC) compared to GIC supplemented with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanopowder at 3% and 5% (w/w).Material and Methods Vickers microhardness was estimated with diamond indenter. Compressive and flexural strengths were analyzed in a universal testing machine. Specimens were bonded to enamel and dentine, and tested for shear bond strength in a universal testing machine. Specimens were incubated with S. mutans suspension for evaluating antibacterial activity. Surface analysis of restorative conventional and modified GIC was performed with SEM and EDS. The analyses were carried out with Kolmogorov-Smirnov, ANOVA (post-hoc), Tukey test, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann Whitney.Results Conventional GIC and GIC modified with TiO2 nanopowder for the base/liner cement and core build showed no differences for mechanical, antibacterial, and shear bond properties (p>0.05). In contrast, the supplementation of TiO2 NPs to restorative GIC significantly improved Vickers microhardness (p<0.05), flexural and compressive strength (p<0.05), and antibacterial activity (p<0.001), without interfering with adhesion to enamel and dentin.Conclusion GIC supplemented with TiO2 NPs (FX-II) is a promising material for restoration because of its potential antibacterial activity and durable restoration to withstand the mastication force.

Nanotechnology has been used for medical applications in several forms, including dental practice with the development of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as a useful tool. The aim of this review was to identify the properties and appliances of Ag NPs in dental practice. Silver compounds and NPs have already been used as dental restorative material, endodontic retrofill cements, dental implants and caries inhibitory solution. Despite the effectiveness that Ag NPs has shown in dental practice, Ag NPs remain a controversial area of research with respect to their toxicity in biological and ecological systems. Therefore any application of Ag NPs in dentistry requires more studies. In order to avoid the toxicity of these materials Ag NPs can be temporarily used in dentistry.

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Nanosized metal particles show specific physical and chemical properties that allow the creation of new composites materials, which are important for multiple applications in biology and medicine such as infections control. Metal nanoparticles, mainly copper, exhibit excellent inhibitory effect on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; therefore the exploration about the efficient, economical, and friendly environmental technics to synthesize inorganic nanoparticles is imperative. In this work a brief overview of the several methods is made including the comparison of the methods, mainly between sonochemical, microwave, and chemical routes. It allows determining the optimal parameters and technical conditions to synthesize copper nanoparticles with physical and chemical properties suitable for the oral bacterial inhibition.

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In this work, we present a simple and efficient method for pure phase magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticle synthesis. The phase structure, particle shape, and size of the samples were characterized by Raman spectroscopy (Rm), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology tuning was controlled by the temperature of the reaction; the nanoparticles were synthesized via the hydrothermal method at 120°C, 140°C, and 160°C, respectively. The Rm and XRD spectra showed that all the nanoparticles were Fe3O4 in a pure magnetite phase. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited a high level of crystallinity with uniform morphology at each temperature, as can be observed through TEM and SEM. These magnetic nanoparticles exhibited good saturation magnetization and the resulting shapes were quasi-spheres, octahedrons, and cubes. The samples showed striking magnetic properties, which were examined by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It has been possible to obtain a good morphological control of nanostructured magnetite in a simple, economical, and scalable method by adjusting the temperature, without the modification of any other synthesis parameter.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a widely used polymer for dental applications, and it is mainly used in the fabrication of dental prostheses. In an increasing number of these applications, the risk of suffering bacterial or fungal infection is higher than 60% among oral-prosthesis users. Some authors have reported the failure of other implants in the human body due to biofilm formation on the surface (mainly for total hip implants). In the dental field, the formation of bacterial and fungal biofilms on prosthesis’s surface is the etiologic factor for stomatitis, mainly caused by Candida albicans and bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis, as well as many others. The antibacterial and antifungal properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely reported, and their use in dental materials can prevent oral infections, such as candidiasis and stomatitis, and promote better oral health in dental-prosthesis users. They can even be used in other biomedical applications that require controlling biofilm formation on surfaces. In this review, the reported studies that use composites of PMMA and AgNPs (PMMA-AgNPs) for dental applications are listed and checked, with the aim of gaining a wider perspective of the use and application of this approach in the dental field.

Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases in the world and requires new therapies for its treatment. In this context, the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been developed to treat different types of tumors. The Annona muricata plant is known for having anticancer activity. Its main compounds present in the leaves, stems and skin, allowing for its use as reducing agents. In this manuscript, AgNPs with leaf extract (AgNPs-LE) and fruit peel extract (AgNPs-PE) of A. muricata were biosynthesized obtaining an average nanoparticle diameter sizes smaller than 50 nm, being 19.63 ± 3.7 nm and 16.56 ± 4.1 nm, and with a surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) at 447 and 448 nm, respectively. The lactone functional group present in the LE and PE extracts was identified by the FTIR technique. The behavior and antiproliferation activity of AgNPs-LE and AgNPs-PE were evaluated in breast, colon and melanoma cancer cell lines. Our results showed that Annona muricata fruit peel, which is a waste product, has an antitumor effect more potent than leaf extract. This difference is maintained with AgNPs where the destruction of cancer cells was, for the first time, achieved using concentrations that do not exceed 3 μg/mL with a better therapeutic index in the different tumor strains. In conclusion, we present a low-cost one-step experimental setup to generate AgNPs-PE whose in-vitro biocompatibility and powerful therapeutic effect make it a very attractive tool worth exploiting.