The impact of dimethylaminohexadecyl methacrylates on the physical and antibacterial properties of endodontic sealers.

Objective: This study aims to incorporate contact-killing quaternary ammonium into two root canal sealers, AH Plus (DentSply Sirona, New York City, NY, USA) and BC (FKG, Le Crêt-du-Locle Switzerland) sealers to improve their antibacterial properties.

Methods: Dimethylaminohexadecyl Methacrylates (DMAHDM) were synthesized and incorporated into AH Plus and BC sealers at 5 weight percent (wt.%). The physical properties were assessed via film thickness, flow, contact angle, and solubility. The antibacterial properties were assessed by determining the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) of and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two-way ANOVA and Tukey tests were used to analyze the data.

Results: Incorporating DMAHDM at 5 wt.% increased the film thickness and reduced the flow of the AH Plus and BC sealers ( < 0.05), but the values were within clinically acceptable limits. Simultaneously, DMAHDM incorporation increased the contact angle of the sealers ( < 0.001). DMAHDM incorporation significantly ( < 0.001) inhibited the biofilms and resulted in complete eradication. In contrast, the AH Plus and BC control sealers had approximately 10 and 10 CFUs of bacteria, respectively. The SEM images revealed no colonies over the AH Plus sealers containing 5 wt.% DMAHDM, while the AH Plus control sealers were covered with a thick layer of biofilms.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that DMAHDM, as a contact-killing agent, could be used as an approach to prevent endodontic reinfections.

Clinical Relevance: Integrating DMAHDM into commercial sealers may enhance their antibacterial properties. These findings indicate a need for further investigation using more clinically relevant models to validate this approach.