Modificação superficial de fios de sutura odontológicos (seda e nylon) com quitosana.

Abstract

In this study, non-absorbable dental suture wires, silk and nylon, were superficially modified with chitosan. The chitosan biopolymer has been widely used as drug release system, as well as, to tissue engineering applied to dentistry. However, its use in surface modification of dental suture wires has not been evaluated. The modification of the wires was performed by immersing the same in solutions of chitosan (concentrations of 1 to 4% v/v) under time and temperature controlled conditions. The influence of chitosan on the surface modification of the wires was monitored by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), degree of swelling and in vitro antimicrobial activity. The results showed that it was possible to modify the surface of the silk and nylon dental suture wires by chitosan. According to FTIR and SEM data, more concentrated solutions of chitosan (3% and 4%) and neutralization of the modified wires resulted in impregnation of thicker layers of chitosan and total covering of the wires. The water absorption of the wires was not modified when the surface of the wires was modified by the use of chitosan solution (2% v/v). The surface modification of the wires with chitosan at 2 % and 4 % (v/v) was not effective in inhibiting the growth of bacterial and fungal colonies.