INSTRUMENTS HAVING ANTI-MICROBIAL COATING
The present invention relates to dental instruments including dental burs, dental discs, tapes, endodontic files, surgical drills and taps, scalers, mirrors, intra-oral light sources, handpieces, perioscopes, covers for dental instruments and other tools having anti-microbial and/or medicament coatings which may be in a substantially permanent covalent manner or in a substantially non-permanent manner. The anti-microbial coating may be made from a variety of anti-microbial substances and other appropriate constituents to promote its fixing to the surface of the dental instrument and to promote its anti-microbial activity either during use or during storage. The substrate of the instruments may also include sources of anti-microbial agents, either by embedding, filling or mixing into the substrate.
1 . A dental instrument comprising a substrate having exposed surfaces, and an anti-microbial coating covalently bonded to at least a portion of the exposed surfaces of the substrate for inhibiting or retarding the growth of microbes on said surfaces.
2 . The dental instrument of claim 1 wherein said instrument is selected from the group consisting of rotary dental burs, dental discs, tapes, endodontic files, dental scalers, vibratory scalers, dental tips, surgical knives, mirrors, probes, perioscopes, intra-oral light sources, dental trays, dental implants, handpieces, covers for dental instruments, surgical drills and taps.
3 . The dental instrument of claim 1 further comprising a temporary anti-microbial coating on at least a portion of the exposed surfaces.
4 . The dental instrument of claim 1 wherein said anti-microbial coating comprises an anti-microbial compound and at least one coating agent for binding the ant-microbial compound onto the surface of the instrument.
5 . The dental instrument of claim 1 wherein said anti-microbial coating comprises quaternary ammonium cations.
6 . The dental instrument of claim 5 wherein said quartenary ammonium cations comprises N-alkyl-pyridinium, poly(4-vinyl-N-alkylpyridinium), N-alkylated-polyethylenimine, or mixtures thereof.
7 . The dental instrument of claim 5 wherein said anti-microbial coating comprises a compound having an alkyl side chain length of about 0 to about 12 carbons.
8 . The dental instrument of claim 5 wherein said anti-microbial coating comprises a compound having an alkyl side chain length of from about 5 to about 7 carbons.
9 . The dental instrument of claim 1 wherein the anti-microbial coating is a substantially flexible coating.
10 . The dental instrument of claim 2 wherein the tip comprises a part of an ultrasonic dental insert or a vibratory instrument, said tip comprises the antimicrobial coating.
11 . The dental tip of claim 10 wherein said cover is adapted for covering the dental handpiece.
12 . An endodontic dental instrument having exposed surfaces on a working portion and a non-working portion, said instrument having an anti-microbial coating coated thereon at least a portion of said exposed surfaces, wherein said anti-microbial coating comprises an anti-microbial compound covalently bonded to the surface of the instrument, an anti-microbial compound adapted for release into the oral cavity, a source of anti-microbial metal ions, or an anti-microbial compound and at least one coating agent.
13 . The Endodontic instrument of claim 12 wherein said covalently bonded anti-microbial compound comprises quaternary ammonium cations.
14 . The dental instrument of claim 12 wherein said quartenary ammonium cations comprises N-alkyl-pyridinium, poly(4-vinyl-N-alkylpyridinium), N-alkylated-Polyethylenimine, or mixtures thereof.
15 . The dental instrument of claim 12 wherein said anti-microbial compound comprises an alkyl side chain length of about 0 to about 12 carbons.
16 . The dental instrument of claim 12 wherein said anti-microbial compound comprises an alkyl side chain length of from about 5 to about 7 carbons.
17 . The dental instrument of claim 12 wherein said metal ions comprise transition metal ions.
18 . The dental instrument of claim 12 wherein said source of metal ions comprises an ion exchange resin containing a metal ion source.
19 . The dental instrument of claim 18 wherein said metal ions comprises silver, zinc, copper, iron or mixtures thereof.
20 . The dental instrument of claim 18 wherein said transition metal ion source comprises a zirconium phosphate-based ceramic ion exchange resin containing silver.
21 . A dental instrument comprising a substrate for forming at least a portion of said dental instrument, wherein said substrate comprises at least one source of metal ions for inhibiting or retarding the growth of microbes on said at least a portion of said instrument.
22 . The dental instrument of claim 21 wherein said source of metal ions comprises an ion exchange resin containing a metal ion source.
23 . The dental instrument of claim 21 wherein said metal ions comprises silver, zinc, copper, iron or mixtures thereof.
24 . The dental instrument of claim 21 wherein said metal ion source comprises a zirconium phosphate-based ceramic ion exchange resin containing silver.
25 . The dental instrument of claim 21 wherein said source of metal ions is embedded or dispersed in the substrate.
26 . The dental instrument of claim 21 wherein said portion of the instrument comprises a working portion, a non-working portion, or combinations thereof.
27 . The dental instrument of claim 26 wherein said portion further comprises an anti-microbial coating covalently bonded to a surface of the instrument.