Antibacterial effects of a new dental acrylic resin containing silver nanoparticles

The addition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to an acrylic resin rendered a dental composite that exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and showed rather improved mechanical properties. Such antibacterial effects were mainly attributed to the release of silver ions upon immersion of the composite in water, which appeared to be fairly nontoxic to humans. Furthermore, an acrylic liquid was used as a new reducing agent for the conversion of silver ions into pure elemental Ag NPs in quantitative yields. The structure, morphology, average size, and size distribution of the as-prepared Ag NPs were determined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, which confirmed the fabrication of rather dispersed, face-centered cubic nanoparticles with a mean average diameter of 38 nm. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.