Evaluation of physicochemical characteristics of experimental resin infiltrant containing graphene oxide

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the influence of 0.5% graphene oxide (GO) incorporated into an experimental resin infiltrant on its physicochemical and antibacterial properties compared to Commercial Icon (IC) and Experimental (E) groups. Materials and Methods Groups E and GO were manipulated, and specimens were prepared according to test requirements. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to assess the degree of conversion (DC) (n = 5) before and after photoactivation. Sorption (So) and solubility (Sol) (n = 10) were evaluated after 7 days of water storage. Three-point bending tests determined the elastic modulus (EM) and flexural strength (FS) (n = 10). Initial carious lesions were induced in bovine enamel and analyzed through Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) for penetration depth (n = 3). Antibacterial activity was assessed using antibiofilm assay (CFU), MTT metabolic test, and biofilm analysis via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Generalized linear models were applied for So, Sol, EM, and FS, while Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s tests analyzed DC, CFU, and MTT. Results GO differed from IC and E in DC after 80s photoactivation, exhibiting superior results. GO showed higher So and Sol values. IC demonstrated the best EM and FS. CLSM confirmed enamel infiltration for GO and IC. E showed the highest CFU, while GO had the lowest. E exhibited the highest MTT absorbance. Conclusion Incorporating GO into the experimental infiltrant is feasible, demonstrating good infiltration and antibacterial activity. Further studies are needed to optimize its properties. Clinical relevance: Infiltrants with graphene oxide and commercial formulations both demonstrated satisfactory antibacterial and infiltration performance.