DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DENTAL COMPOSITES USING AMINO-FUNCTIONALIZED TIO2 NANOPARTICLES

Objective: Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is extensively utilized in various industrial applications owing to its unique physicochemical properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of amino-functionalized titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NH2) and silica nanoparticles (SiO2) on the development and characterization of dental composites formulated using conventional dental restorative materials.Method: The successful synthesis of the dental composite series incorporating functional titanium compounds was confirmed via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface morphology was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the thermal stability of dental composites was assessed by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The water sorption, water solubility, and chemical stability of the composites were meticulously investigated. Antibacterial activity of TiO2, and TiO2-NH2 nanoparticles were determined against the Gram-negative strain Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the Gram-positive strain Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) using Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) assays.Results: The evaluation of water sorption and water solubility confirmed that the dental composites conformed to the established ISO standards. Furthermore, Fenton testing results demonstrated the chemical stability of the composites, revealing a negligible maximum material loss of approximately 0.19%. Notably, the surface functionalization of the titanium nanoparticles significantly enhanced their antibacterial efficacy. This enhanced activity was predominantly observed against the Gram-negative bacterial species, E. coli.Conclusion: The successful incorporation of amino-functionalized titanium nanoparticles into the dental composite matrix led to significant enhancements in both their physicochemical and antibacterial properties. Overall, these robust findings strongly affirm the potential of the synthesized dental composites for deployment in a broad spectrum of biomedical and industrial applications.