Combined sol–gel bioactive glass and β-tricalcium phosphate for potential dental tissue engineering: a preliminary study

Biocomposite is extensively implemented in orthopaedics and dentistry since multiple materials blends can be utilised by capitalising on their radical compatibility. Bioactive glasses (BG) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) have excellent bioactive, osteoconductive, and osteogenic features due to the resemblance of their inorganic constituents with bone or dental tissue. In this study, sol–gel BG was incorporated with β-TCP for potential application in dental tissue engineering. A 40/60 composition ratio of BG/β-TCP powder was homogeneously mixed in a zirconia planetary ball mixer and sieved to obtain particle size of less than 50 μm. The BG/β-TCP powder composite was characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), laser diffraction particle size analyser, and in vitro biological characteristics were observed by soaking the BG/β-TCP composite in simulated body fluid (SBF) and exposing the Saos-2 cells towards conditioned medium. The XRD analysis identified the presence of whitlockite (ICCD 00–009-0169) and combeite (ICDD 96–900-7722) crystalline phase in the composite structure. The pH tends to be in the range of 7.7 to 8.0 throughout the study period, and SEM exhibited the hydroxyapatite (HA) formation on the surface after 1 day when immersed in SBF. Based on in vitro investigation, the BG/β-TCP composite presented enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation. In this preliminary study, in vitro HA formation ability, and cell proliferation properties may have considered the BG/β-TCP biocomposite as a potential for bone and dental tissue engineering.