%0 Journal Article
%T Dental Caries Management with Antibacterial Silver-Doped Prussian Blue Hydrogel by the Combined Effects of Photothermal Response and Ion Discharge.
%A Li S
%A Li Q
%A Zhang H
%A Li F
%A Hu J
%A Qian J
%A Wang Y
%A Zhang J
%A Wu Z
%J ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
%V 16
%N 22
%D 2024 Jun 5
%M 38772043
%F 10.383
%R 10.1021/acsami.4c04302
%X Caries is a destructive condition caused by bacterial infection that affects the hard tissues of the teeth, significantly reducing the quality of life for individuals. Photothermal therapy (PTT) offers a noninvasive and painless treatment for caries, but the use of unsafe laser irradiance limits its application. To address this challenge, we prepared nanoparticles of silver ion-doped Prussian blue (AgPB), which was encased within cationic guar gum (CG) to form the antibacterial PTT hydrogel CG-AgPB with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 34.4%. When exposed to an 808 nm laser at a power density of 0.4 W/cm2, the hydrogel readily reached a temperature of over 50 °C in just 3 min, synchronized by the discharge of Ag+ ions from the interstitial sites of AgPB crystals, resulting in broad-spectrum and synergistic antibacterial activities (>99%) against individual oral pathogens (Streptococcus sanguinis, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sobrinus) and pathogen-induced biofilms. In vivo, CG-AgPB-mediated PTT demonstrated a capability to profoundly reduce the terminal number of cariogenic bacteria to below 1% in a rat model of caries. Given the outstanding biocompatibility, injectability, and flushability, this CG-AgPB hydrogel may hold promise as a next-generation oral hygiene adjunct for caries management in a clinical setting.