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A sprayable superhydrophobic dental protectant with photo-responsive anti-bacterial, acid-resistant, and anti-fouling functions

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Abstract

Effective dental care can reduce the incidence of oral diseases (dental caries, dentin sensitivity, tooth discoloration, etc.). However, delayed or inappropriate usage of care tools not only fails to eliminate external adverse stimuli, but sometimes even causes dental injury. Inspired by the traditional culture of “lacquer teeth”, a sprayable superhydrophobic protectant (ZFP) composed of ZnO, fluorine modified nano-silica (FSNs), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is constructed similar to automobile wax, for routine dental protection. With its superhydrophobic properties, this protective membrane can effectively resist the adhesion of bacteria, proteins, and food residues to the teeth surface. Meanwhile, ZFP exerts stable superhydrophobic self-cleaning properties under external mechanical stimulation, temperature alternation, and acidic environment. In addition, ZnO in ZFP can significantly restrain the growth of dental caries-related bacteria (Streptococcus mutans), with an enhanced antibacterial capacity when combined with yellow light irradiation. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrate that ZFP is a safe, convenient, and quadruplex-effective dental protectant, which is expected to serve as a promising toothpaste companion for joint maintenance of dental health.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31860263 to X. L. W. and and No. 81960492 to L. L.), Key Youth Project of Jiangxi Province (No. 20202ACB216002 to X. L. W.), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province (No. S2018ZRZDB0255 to L. L.), and Nanchang University Seed Grant for Biomedicine.

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  1. Siyu Zhao and Xuetao Yang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China

    Siyu Zhao, Xuetao Yang, Yingying Xu & Lan Liao

  2. The National Engineering Research Center for Bioengineering Drugs and the Technologies, Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330088, China

    Siyu Zhao, Xuetao Yang & Xiaolei Wang

  3. The Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Nanchang, 330006, China

    Siyu Zhao, Yingying Xu & Lan Liao

  4. College of Chemistry, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330088, China

    Zhenzhen Weng & Xiaolei Wang

Authors
  1. Siyu Zhao
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  2. Xuetao Yang
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  3. Yingying Xu
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  4. Zhenzhen Weng
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  5. Lan Liao
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  6. Xiaolei Wang
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Correspondence to Lan Liao or Xiaolei Wang.

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Zhao, S., Yang, X., Xu, Y. et al. A sprayable superhydrophobic dental protectant with photo-responsive anti-bacterial, acid-resistant, and anti-fouling functions. Nano Res. 15, 5245–5255 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4136-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4136-6

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