Characterization and evaluation of properties of a tissue conditioner containing co-polymerizable quaternary ammonium-based antimicrobial monomers

In this study, a commercially available tissue conditioner (TC; Soft-Liner, GC, Tokyo, Japan) was modified by incorporating quaternary ammonium salts (QAS): dimethyl-hexadecyl-methacryloxyethyl-ammonium iodide (DHMAI) and 2-dimethyl-2-dodecyl-1-methacryloxyethyl ammonium iodide (DDMAI) based on their minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC). The control group consisted of TC materials without monomers. The modified TC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, antimicrobial activity (microbial adherence) assessed against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Candida albicans (C. albicans), and cytotoxicity (MTT assay) on L-929 fibroblasts. Additionally, mechanical and physical properties were assessed. Our results suggest that modified TC has effectively reduced microbial adhesion, exhibited good cytocompatibility and no significant changes were observed in the mechanical properties compared to control samples.