Dental caries remains a prevalent oral disease and conInues to be a major cause of loss of dental hard Issues, restoraIon failure, and pulpal involvement. Despite advances in prevenIve strategies and restoraIve techniques, untreated caries remains the most prevalent oral condiIon worldwide 1.RestoraIve treatment is not a permanent soluIon for dental caries; recurrent caries remain a frequent clinical challenge 2. The Research Topic Biomaterials for Dental Caries Preven2on and Management was developed to highlight current research direcIons in the development and evaluaIon of bioacIve dental materials aimed at prevenIng caries iniIaIon, limiIng biofilm development, enhancing remineralizaIon, and supporIng Issue repair. The collecIon brings together original research arIcles and a systemaIc review that reflect ongoing efforts to improve the biological performance of prevenIve and therapeuIc materials used in caries management.A study in this Research Topic addresses the interacIon between dental materials and early biofilm formaIon, which is a criIcal step in the development of caries lesions. The study invesIgaIng cerium chloride pretreatment of hydroxyapaIte surfaces examines how surface modificaIon by cerium influences iniIal bacterial aachment. Using a mulI-species biofilm model and surface characterizaIon techniques, this work demonstrates that cerium incorporaIon and the formaIon of surface precipitates are associated with reduced early biofilm presence compared with untreated and chlorhexidine-treated controls. This study contributes to the growing body of research exploring alternaIve ions and surface modificaIons as strategies to influence microbial colonizaIon on dental hard Issues and biomaterial surfaces [3.Glass ionomer cements (GICs) remain widely used in caries management due to their fluoride release and chemical adhesion to tooth structure 2. However, their mechanical limitaIons restrict their applicaIon in stress-bearing areas 4. Two original research arIcles in this Research Topic focus on modifying convenIonal GICs to improve their performance while maintaining bioacIvity. One study evaluates the incorporaIon of microchitosan derived from Xylotrupes gideon into GIC. The findings indicate that low concentraIons of microchitosan can improve compressive strength, tensile strength, and surface hardness of the material aaer storage in arIficial saliva. The use of insect-derived chitosan also highlights interest in alternaIve and potenIally more sustainable sources of biomaterials. This work provides data supporIng the feasibility of bio-polymer reinforcement of convenIonal GIC formulaIons 5.ComplemenIng this chitosan-based reinforcement approach, another study invesIgates the effect of reducing glass powder parIcle size on the physicochemical and mechanical properIes of GIC. By producing submicron, nano-sized, and hybrid parIcle distribuIons, the authors demonstrate that parIcle size reducIon increases ion release and alkalinity over Ime, while also affecIng se5ng Ime and mechanical strength. The hybrid formulaIon, combining nano-and submicron-sized parIcles, showed a balance between ion release and acceptable mechanical properIes. These findings illustrate the influence of microstructural design on the funcIonal behavior of restoraIve materials and highlight the trade-offs between bioacIvity and mechanical performance that must be considered in material development 6.The management of deep carious lesions and pulp exposure represents another area where biomaterial performance is criIcal. The development and evaluaIon of nano α-tricalcium phosphate and silver nanoparIcle biocomposites for direct pulp capping are presented in this Research Topic. The study reports that selected formulaIons exhibit sustained calcium and phosphate ion release, stable alkaline pH, and anIbacterial acIvity against cariogenic bacteria. Structural characterizaIon confirmed that incorporaIon of silver nanoparIcles did not alter the crystalline structure of the calcium phosphate matrix. The findings support further invesIgaIon of mulIfuncIonal pulp capping materials that combine bioacIvity with anIbacterial properIes for applicaIons in vital pulp therapy 7.A systemaIc review included in this Research Topic focuses on the anImicrobial potenIal of bioacIve resin composites in caries management. Secondary caries remains a leading cause of restoraIon failure, and surface-associated biofilms play a central role in this process. The review summarizes in vitro evidence comparing microbial adhesion and anImicrobial acIvity of bioacIve resin composites with convenIonal resin-based materials. The findings indicate that while bacterial adhesion may be comparable between material types due to similar surface characterisIcs, bioacIve resin composites demonstrate greater anImicrobial effects, likely related to ion release and changes in the local microenvironment 8.The relevance of bioacIve restoraIve materials in elderly populaIon is addressed in an in vitro study evaluaIng calcium, phosphate, and fluoride ion release from restoraIve materials. Root caries and cervical lesions are increasingly prevalent in aging individuals, and restoraIve materials used in these contexts are exposed to varying pH levels and temperature condiIons. The study demonstrates that fluoride and calcium ion release from restoraIve materials is influenced by environmental condiIons, material composiIon, and exposure duraIon. Material-dependent variaIon in ion release profiles was indicated, , underscoring the importance of considering clinical context and paIent-related factors in the selecIon of restoraIve materials for caries management in older adults 9.CollecIvely, the arIcles in this Research Topic reflect current research direcIons in dental biomaterials, including surface modificaIon to influence biofilm formaIon, microstructural and composiIonal modificaIon of restoraIve materials to enhance ion release and mechanical performance, and the development of mulIfuncIonal materials for pulp therapy. While the studies provide important in vitro evidence supporIng the biological potenIal of emerging biomaterials, further work is required to establish long-term performance, biocompaIbility, and clinical effecIveness. Standardized tesIng protocols and well-designed in vivo and clinical studies will be necessary to support translaIon into rouIne clinical pracIce.This research topic provides an overview of contemporary approaches to the development and evaluaIon of biomaterials for dental caries prevenIon and management. The contribuIons highlight the conInued evoluIon of prevenIve and therapeuIc materials toward systems that combine mechanical funcIon with biologically relevant properIes aimed at controlling caries processes and supporIng hard Issue health.
Akhter et al. (Tue,) studied this question.