Effects of Adding Cinnamon, ZnO, and CuO Nanoparticles on the Antibacterial Properties of a Glass Ionomer Cement as the Luting Agent for Orthodontic Bands and Their Cytotoxicity

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of adding cinnamon nanoparticles (NPs), Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs), and Copper oxide (CuO) NPs on the antibacterial property of a luting and lining glass ionomer cement (GIC) that was used for the cementation of orthodontic bands to the tooth. Cinnamon NPs, ZnO NPs, and CuO NPs were added into a luting and lining GIC in weight percentages of 1%, 2%, and 4%, respectively while a non-modified GIC was considered as the control group. Agar disc diffusion test was applied to assess the antimicrobial property of samples against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). The cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles was examined through the MTT assay for gingival fibroblasts. Data showed that GIC containing cinnamon and ZnO NPs displayed a larger inhibition zone diameter and greater antibacterial activity against S. mutans than CuO NPs. Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in the inhibition zone diameter of cinnamon NPs and ZnO NPs. The cytotoxicity assessment revealed the lower cytotoxicity of cinnamon NPs and the higher cytotoxicity of CuO NPs while the cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs was observed to be higher than cinnamon NPs and lower than CuO NPs. GIC containing cinnamon NPs exhibited noticeable antibacterial activity against S. mutans and cinnamon NPs revealed less cytotoxicity and it is can be labeled as a favorable option for further assessment to be applied in fixed orthodontic treatments for the cementation of bands to teeth.