Flower-like ferro-polydopamine nanozymes with peroxidase-like activity for early caries prevention

Introduction Dental caries, a highly prevalent oral disease, significantly compromises oral health. Dental biofilms represent a key etiological factor in caries pathogenesis and pose challenges for eradication due to their protective extracellular matrix. Methods Herein, we rationally designed a ferro-polydopamine nanozyme (FPN) featuring a flower-like morphology and remarkable peroxidase-like (POD-like) activity. Results Significantly, FPN efficiently catalyzed low-concentration H 2 O 2 under mildly acidic conditions, exhibiting potent antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans ( S. mutans ) and robust anti-biofilm efficacy in vitro . Furthermore, enamel disks treated synergistically with FPN and low-dose H2O2 demonstrated significantly inhibited enamel demineralization compared to untreated controls under acidogenic challenge, indicating FPN’s remarkable preventive capacity against early caries. Discussion Collectively, this study demonstrates that FPN, enabled by its superior POD-like activity and biocompatibility, holds substantial translational potential for significantly reducing clinical H 2 O 2 concentrations while effectively preventing early dental caries.