Mechanical strength and inhibition of plaque biofilm activity of a novel antibacterial Hawley retainer

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the long-term mechanical property, bacteria-killing ability, protein resistance and cytotoxicity of a novel antibacterial methyl methacrylate (MMA) resin.

The 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) has been added into the MMA used for making Hawley orthodontic retener according to the mass percentage 0% (control group), 1.5%, 2.25%, 3%, 4.5% and 6%. Specimens from the control group and MPC group were water-aged for 1 d, 90 d and 180 d, and then the universal material testing machine was used to investigate the long-term mechanical properties of the modified MMA specimens in the oral environment. The biofilm metabolic activity, colony-forming unit (CFU) and live/dead staining assay of the biofilms in the control group and MPC group in the oral environment were tested using the dental plaque biofilm model. The micro-bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method was used to determine the amount of protein adsorbed on the specimens. The MTT method was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the control group and MPC group.

In the simulated oral environment, the addition of 0% to 3% MPC had no significant effect on the mechanical properties of the MMA specimen (P > 0.05). The control group and the modified MMA specimens with 3%MPC were statistically significant in time and the interaction effects between the two groups (P < 0.05). With increasing intervention time, the mechanical strength of both groups decreased, and the effect of time varied with grouping. The protein adsorption on the surface of the modified MMA material after adding 3% MPC decreased by approximately 80%, the metabolic activity of the biofilm decreased by approximately 50%, and biofilm CFU counts decreased by approximately 70% (P < 0.05) compared with the control. There was no statistically significant difference in time or interaction effects between the two groups. The amount of live green bacteria in the 3% MPC group decreased significantly after 1, 90, and 180 d of water aging. There was no significant difference in cytotoxicity between the control group and the MPC group (P > 0.05).

The addition of MPC into the MMA resin did not compromise the mechanical properties of the resin and exhibited long-lasting antibacterial and protein-repellent effects.