Development of microcapsules containing fluorine powders for dental materials

Abstract

Orthodontic appliance increases dental decay risk due to a decrease in self-cleaning action of saliva. Fluoride ion is known to have anticaries effect. To decrease the decay risk, powders that could gradually release fluoride ion had been incorporated in the orthodontic appliance. However, the powderss were not uniformly distributed throughout the instrument because of the surface properties of the particles. In this study, we prepared acrylic microcapsules enclosing fluorine-containing powders with < 200 m in diameter. The acrylic microcapsules would be uniformly distributed throughout orthodontic appliance because the instrument is mainly made of acrylic polymer. In addition, we have achieved to improve the content of the powders in the microcapsules by increasing viscosity of acrylic monomer solution by pre-polymerization.