Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)
Introduction&Objective As one of the most significant diseases of the periodontium, periodontitis is a major economic and patient-specific health problem. Therefore, sustainable treatment of the inflammation of the gums and the fight against bacteria that lead to the formation of pathological tooth pockets is essential. To provide an easy-to-apply drug delivery system (DDS) while saving the effort of subsequent removal, a filament-based degradable DDS was investigated. For this purpose, a degradable biopolymer should be used. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is particularly suitable for this purpose.
Materials&Methods Filaments were made of PCL, which shows usually acidic degradation products. To protect enamel, dentin, and dental cement from demineralization, the PCL was processed to composites with various buffer substances, to compensate the acidification. The comparison of different mineral and organic buffer substances with mass fractions between 20 and 30 wt% showed that the degradation rate of the polymers and the entire composite can be significantly influenced. Only few composites can keep the pH in a physiological range during storage in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), artificial saliva, and PBS with lipase for up to 28 days. Furthermore, incorporation and release kinetics of different antibiotics (Amoxicillin, Metronidazole, Doxycycline, Rifampicin) were investigated in regards of cytocompatibility and antibacterial effectivity to relevant dental bacteria.
Results&Conclusion The PCL/MgCO3 composite can be used as an optimal DDS-basis material. Drug immobilization of antibiotics can be carried out in the same way as the production of composites. The release kinetics of the active ingredients and their efficacy are directly dependent on the antibiotic in question. However, there are indications of a long-range release in parallel with material degradation. This could provide a degradable filament material that can be effectively used for periodontitis treatment.