ASSESSMENT OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF GLASS IONOMER CEMENT (GIC) INCORPORATING SILVER NANOPARTICLES IN VARYING CONCENTRATIONS FOR PEDIATRIC DENTAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Background and Objectives- Although Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC) is a commonly utilized restorative material, it loses its antimicrobial effectiveness with time. To evaluate the antimicrobial property, Flexural Strength (FS) and Surface Micro Hardness (SMH) of GIC added with silver vanadate (AgVO3) nanoparticles. Methods- This study was performed in the Department of Pedodontics at Sri Sankara Dental College. The study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee. Considering the methodology of the study conducted by Jowkar Z et al., (2019). Using SPSS (Version 24.0) software for power analysis indicated the required total of 50 samples. The number of samples to evaluate antimicrobial property was 26, and 12 samples each to test FS (Flexural Strength): and SMH (Surface Micro-Hardness). Results- The modified groups exhibited higher antimicrobial activity compared to the unmodified group. Group 4 exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity (27.65±1.10 mm) followed by Group 3 (24.32±0.69 mm) and Group 2 (20.30±1.21 mm). Group 1 (unmodified GIC) exhibited the least antimicrobial property with a mean zone of inhibition of 15.60±1.20 mm. One-way ANOVA showed a significant difference (p=0.01) between the groups. GIC added with 2.0% w/w AgVO3 nanoparticles (Group 4) exhibited higher FS with a mean of 47.62±10.10 MPa than the unmodified GIC (Group 1) Conclusion- Type II GIC with 2.0% w/w AgVo3 nanoparticle addition demonstrated increased FS and SMH in addition to greater antibacterial properties.