Embryotoxicity and teratogenesis of orthodontic acrylic resin in zebrafish

Abstract

Objectives: To verify in vivo the embryotoxicity, teratogenic power and other possible effects of the orthodontic acrylic resin and its components separately using Zebrafish as a model organism. Materials and Methods: Embryo and larval stage animals were divided into 5 experimental groups. These were divided into 5 subgroups: three specific doses of each substance tested, one control with the vehicle (0,1% DMSO in water) and one absolute control (water). In the 5o day post fertilization, the animals were submitted to morphological, cardiac, behavioral, and cognitive evaluations. Ten animals were used in triplicate for all experiments. Survival and hatching were analyzed by the Kaplan Meier test and the other measurements were analyzed by one way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test. Results:For all tested substances, statistically significant differences were found between the control and treated groups for heart rate, cognitive responsiveness, and cellular apoptosis, whereas survival, hatching rate and other parameters did not show significant differences. Only the highest dose of the dibutyl phthalate group showed significant difference in survival. Conclusions: Chronic exposure to acrylic resin and its components may be associated with decreased cognitive ability and cardiac rhythm and an increase in the level of cellular apoptosis in zebrafish. Clinical Relevance:Acrylic resin widely used in dentistry, where not only the patient stays in contact with it for a long period of time, but the dental and laboratory staff also often for a lifetime. Considering this, we emphasize the importance of further investigating the long-term effects of acrylic resin.