Tio2/Hap Nanocomposites For Anti-Caries And Remineralizing

Caries and tooth staining present significant challenges in clinical dentistry. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) serves as a photocatalyst, facilitating antimicrobial treatment and enhancing tooth whitening through photodynamic reactions, hydroxyapatite (HAP) functions as a promineralization agent to counteract enamel demineralization following plaque removal in the early stages of caries. we investigated a multifunctional titanium dioxide/nanohydroxyapatite (TiO₂/HAP) nanocomposite used in conjunction with a dental curing lamp (385-515 nm). The TiO₂/HAP nanocomposite was synthesized using a hydrothermal method, and evaluated its antimicrobial properties, promineralization effects, tooth-whitening capabilities, and biocompatibility. The optimal synthesis conditions for TiO₂/HAP nanocomposite identified as a TiO₂ to HAP molar ratio of 1:2, pH 11, and stirring time of 6 h. Whitening experiments demonstrated a good improvement in tooth color, changing from C4 to A1, after 10 h of TiO₂/HAP treatment combined with blue light irradiation. In a rat molar early caries model, TiO₂/HAP effectively removed dental plaque and increased the calcium-phosphorus ratio to 1.58. TiO₂/HAP also exhibited good in vivo biocompatibility without significantly altering the oral microbial community. TiO₂/HAP plays a crucial role in antimicrobial activity, remineralization, and tooth whitening, offering a novel strategy for the prevention and treatment of early caries and tooth staining.