Multifunctional dental resin composites enabled by QPEI-and TA-functionalized ZnO nanofillers with antibacterial and calcium-phosphate deposition properties.

Authors

Yanzhu Guo, Ze Lalai A Di Li, Qian Chen, Yuxin Wang, Jing Zhang, Wenjuan Liu, Xuebin B Yang, Fuxiang Song, Bin Liu

Published in

Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces. Volume 270. Pages 116253. Oct 12, 2026. Epub Oct 12, 2026.

Abstract

To impart antibacterial activity and calcium-phosphate deposition capability to dental resin composites (DRCs) and thereby reduce the risk of secondary caries, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were surface-functionalized with quaternized polyethyleneimine (QPEI) and tannic acid (TA), yielding two functional nanofillers, termed ZQ and ZT, respectively. The modified nanoparticles were incorporated into DRCs, and their physicochemical properties, cytocompatibility, antibacterial performance, and calcium-phosphate deposition behavior were systematically evaluated. The results demonstrated that composites containing 2 wt% functionalized nanoparticles (DZQ2 and DZT2) achieved the most balanced overall performance. Both materials satisfied the ISO 4049 curing-depth requirement and exhibited enhanced mechanical properties, favorable hydrolytic stability, and good cytocompatibility, with cell viabilities exceeding 80%. Functional evaluation revealed distinct biological effects associated with the two surface modification strategies. DZQ2 exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans (88.14 ± 1.70%), whereas DZT2 promoted greater calcium-phosphate deposition, showing a higher Ca/P ratio (1.08) than DZQ2 (0.83) after 28 days of immersion in artificial saliva. Overall, surface functionalization of ZnO nanoparticles provides an effective strategy for tailoring the biological performance of dental resin composites. The developed materials combine favorable physicochemical properties, antibacterial activity, and calcium-phosphate deposition capability, demonstrating potential as multifunctional restorative materials for reducing the risk of secondary caries.

PMID:
42913100
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.