Riboflavin mediated photo-illumination for bonding zirconia to tooth structure.

To formulate and characterize RF-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (RF@MSN) in adhesive for bonding zirconia ceramic to tooth for potential application in crowns and bridge restorations. RF was loaded inside MSN to produce RF@MSN and doped with adhesive resin. Morphological and spectral characterization of the nanoparticles were studied. RF@MSN in adhesive with two varying concentrations (0.25wt.% and 0.5 wt.%) were studied for the degree of conversion (DC), antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity, and shear bond strength (SBS) after luting zirconia to tooth dentin samples. After activation with a diode laser, 0.5 wt.% RF@MSN samples showed the least DC scores (39.56 ± 5.54), while the highest SBS scores (1018 ± 78 MPa) were reported by control group. 0.5 wt.% RF@MSN samples showed the highest antimicrobial capacity for adhesive against Streptococcus mutans. Incorporation of RF@MSN in dentin adhesive showed improved mechanical and antibacterial efficacy after photo illumination after bonding zirconia to the tooth structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]