Evaluation of kappa carrageenan and gelatin based sponges for dental applications

Abstract

In the current study, kappa carrageenan (kappa-carr) and gelatin (gel) based hemostatic sponges were fabricated for dental applications. The (K)-carr and gel based dental sponges were characterized by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphological properties of the dental sponges were observed by Scanning Electron Microscope analysis. Thermal properties of sponges were evaluated by Thermogravimetric Analysis. The swelling and hydrolytic degradation percentages of the dental sponges were investigated in pH 6.8 to mimic oral saliva. The mechanical properties of the dental sponges were determined and were found to be higher in comparison with the commercial sponge. The sponges reached approximately 95% blood absorption at the end of 45 min. kappa-carr and gel based dental sponges did not show cytotoxic effects on the L929 fibroblast cell line in thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide cell viability assay. All results suggested that the developed K-carr and gel based dental sponges demonstrate great potential for dental applications for the future health care materials.