Properties and Risk of the Use of Bisphenol A-Glycidyl Methacrylate and Urethane Dimethacrylate - Basic Monomers of Dental Restorative Materials

Restorative dentistry uses methacrylate resin-based materials which can be bonded to the tooth structure. The initial clinical success of these materials partly put aside the concern about biological risk associated with their use, because it was assumed that these materials are in the form of polymers tightly bound to the tooth structure. However, the process of polymerization not always is complete and the polymer itself may release monomers, which can penetrate oral cavity and pulp, from where they can reach virtually any organ of the organism. The local concentration of monomers can be in the millimolar range, high enough to induce a variety of adverse biological effects. A large body of evidence suggest that monomers resulting from incomplete polymerization or released from the polymer may exert cytotoxic and genotoxic effects. Bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA) and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) are basic monomers used in forming dental restorative composites. They may induce several undesired effects, affecting immunological and nervous systems, promoting mutations and genomic instability. Therefore, there is a need to intensify the research on adverse biological effects of methacrylate monomers and on efficient protection of dental personnel and patients against such effects