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Project

Developing a new generation of biosafe composites for tooth restoration

Resin composite is currently the most widely used material in dentistry, enabling minimally invasive and nearly invisible tooth restoration. Besides nano-dust issues, there are also particular safety concerns regarding the potential release of the endocrine disruptor 'bisphenol A' (BPA). BPA can be present in composites as production contaminant and/or degradation product, originating from BPA-based monomers, such as BisGMA. The latter serves as a polymerization 'cross-linker' and is a main monomer matrix ingredient of many of today's commercial dental composites (and other resin-based dental materials). Its bi-aromatic BPA core imparts mechanical strength, rigidity and hydrophobicity to the composite matrix. Thanks to a recent KU Leuven research & development breakthrough, BPA-free bi-aromatic diols have been synthesized from wood and appear very promising to replace BisGMA in dental composite with even the potential to further improve physico-mechanical properties of composite. This multidisciplinary project, combining bioengineering technology with dental material science, aims to develop a new generation of biosafe dental composites based on bio-produced BisGMA monomer alternatives. The project involves the production as well as the biocompatibility, physico-mechanical and chemical property testing of experimental BPA-free composite formulations as compared to current dental composite material standards.
Date:1 Oct 2019 →  30 Sep 2023
Keywords:dental composite, monomer, Bisphenol A, bi-aromatic diol, endocrine disruptor, bioaromatic diol
Disciplines:Biomaterials