The integration of nanomaterials with clinical therapeutic instruments is a promising approach to improve the effects of nanomaterials. We reported an efficient synergistic antibacterial strategy formed through the combination of Ag/ZnO nanocomposites with a light-emitting diode (LED) curing light, which is a commonly used small instrument in dental clinics. The as-designed integration depicted a significantly enhanced bactericidal effect on facultative anaerobic oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) both in planktonic and biofilm phases over a very short irradiation time (≤5 min). Further study showed that the combination of LED and Ag/ZnO nanocomposites induced more ·OH and ·O2- generation, which is responsible for the enhanced antibacterial activity. Moreover, this combination could destroy S. mutans biofilm by killing the bacteria embedded within biofilm, inhibiting exopolysaccharide production and down-regulating the biofilm-related gene expression. Therefore, it is proposed that this combination could be applied in dental clinics to realize dental caries prevention and dental restoration simultaneously.
Keyphrases
- candida albicans
- light emitting
- biofilm formation
- visible light
- quantum dots
- reduced graphene oxide
- oral health
- pseudomonas aeruginosa
- gene expression
- staphylococcus aureus
- primary care
- microbial community
- wastewater treatment
- escherichia coli
- gold nanoparticles
- highly efficient
- dna methylation
- cystic fibrosis
- diabetic rats
- high glucose
- drug delivery
- radiation therapy
- ionic liquid
- anti inflammatory