Antifungal Effect on Denture Base Materials using Visible Light Activated Titanium Oxide Synthesized by Two Different Techniques

Objective: To promote oral health by reducing microbial load especially Candida albicans in denture wearers, by combining denture base material with nanoparticles of visible light activated (VLA) titanium oxide (TiO2) synthesized by two different techniques. Photocatalytic activity of this composite material was evaluated by C. albicans assays after exposing to visible light at different time periods. Materials and Methods: VLA nanoparticles of TiO2 were synthesized by two different methods peroxide based technique using TiN (Type A) and scrap alloy left over after dental casting of Ti alloy as a precursor (Type B). The as-prepared powders (Type A and B) were annealed for 600°C for 2 h and crystalline anatase form of nanoparticles were obtained. All four forms of nanoparticles were subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy including energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to evaluate the physical properties of the materials. As-prepared Type A and both forms of Type B nanoparticles did not match the standard patterns of VLA TiO2 on XRD analysis, and these forms were discarded. Only the crystalline anatase form of Type A TiO2 nanoparticles was tested for antifungal activity. Test specimens were prepared using plain acrylic resin as control and an acrylic resin containing nanoparticles. The anti candidal activity was assessed after exposing specimen to visible light followed by counting the number of colony forming units of C. albicans. The results obtained were analyzed using IBMM-SPSS-STATISTICS software. Friedman Test and Wilcoxon signed ranks test were done to analyze if counts differed significantly between different time periods and to compare the difference between the means of different time periods, respectively. Results: Statistically significant inhibition of C. albicans was demonstrated by CAAT when compared with controls at any specified time interval. Conclusion: VLA nanoparticles of CAAT showed superior activity in reducing the number of colonies of C. albicans combined with DBM over a period of time.