Ready-to-Use Flowable Hydraulic Tricalcium Silicate-Based Dental Cement Paste with Antibiotic Releasing Capacity

Calcium silicate-based cements have been investigated recently for various medical applications. One notable application is using calcium silicate cement in dental root canal treatments. This work aimed to develop a novel flowable dual-paste calcium silicate sealer with an extended capacity for releasing antibiotic drugs. This study prepared a composite dental cement incorporating tri- and dicalcium silicate (C 2 S and C 3 S) and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA). International standards are followed by the sealers' film thickness, flowability values, working time, and setting time. The formation of calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate was proved in the XRD patterns, which attributed to the hydration of C 2 S and C 3 S. The in vitro release of Amoxicillin (AMX) loaded in the composite cement was conducted in deionized (DI) water and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and investigated using Higuchi and Weibull models. Upon immersion in PBS, the sedimentation of hydroxyapatite layer on the cement surface, led to a comparatively slower AMX release rate than that in water. The results of the agar diffusion test showed that the presence of the antibiotic drug improved antibacterial properties in such a way that by adding AMX in the cement formulation, the diameter of the inhibition zone increased from 31.61 mm in TCS to 40.17 mm in TCS- 30 mM sample after 72 hours. These results imply that the drug-loaded cement pastes hold potential for application as a bioactive dental root canal sealer, offering antibiotic-loading properties with long-term release capabilities.