Quaternary ammonium compounds to prevent oral biofilm formation

Bacterial contamination is a topic of great concern for scientific community, especially bacteria organized into biofilms can lead to deleterious and costly problems to society. Materials with antimicrobial activity for dental or medical application came into this scenario as good alternative to tackle bacteria related issues. The antimicrobial activity can be achieved by different manners, this thesis focuses on materials containing quaternary ammonium compounds, known for its efficacy against great variety of bacteria. Also, aiming a future application in dentistry to diminish the risk of caries, the inclusion of quaternary ammonium compounds was assessed in commercialized dental materials. New coatings containing quaternary ammonium were as well developed to be applied on metallic orthodontic devices. These series of studies indicate a possible path for preventing dental caries with the aid of antimicrobial materials.