A systematic review about antibacterial monomers used in dental adhesive systems: Current status and further prospects

Abstract

Objectives: This study systematically review the literature to assess the effectiveness of antibacterial monomers incorporated into dental adhesive systems against major oral bacteria; as well as the research advances and the future prospects of this technology.

Methods: The following seven databases were screened: MedLine (PubMed), Lilacs, Ibecs, Web of Science, Scopus, Scielo, and The Cochrane Library. Furthermore, the online system Questel Orbit (Paris, France) was accessed to obtain patent data. The inclusion criteria were articles and patents that investigated the antimicrobial activity of antibacterial monomers in dental adhesive systems. Only documents written in English, Spanish or Portuguese were included.

Results: After screening, 33 studies and eight patents fulfilled all the criteria and were included. Antibacterial agents, such as QA, MDPB, DMAHM and DMADDM were found in patents, which claimed their incorporation into adhesive compositions, dental cements, composite resins. MDPB was the only antimicrobial monomer incorporated into a commercially available adhesive system, Clearfil Protect Bond™ (Kuraray Co. Ltd., Japan). All studies reported the inclusion of antimicrobial monomers in adhesive systems to be an effective dental treatment strategy.

Significance: There are potential areas to be explored with antibacterial monomers for dentistry, and their use could have important implications for future more conservative dental treatments. Although there is evidence of antibacterial activity from in vitro studies, clinical studies must be conducted to confirm the effectiveness of these materials in the prevention of dental pathologies.

Keywords: Antibacterial effects; Antibacterial monomer; Bacteria; Dental adhesive; Systematic Review.