Infiltrant for dental application

1. An infiltrant for dental application comprising crosslinking monomers, said infiltrant comprising 0.05%-20% by weight of acid-group-containing monomers, 20% by weight or less of solvent, and less than 5% by weight of water, and having a dynamic viscosity at 23° C. of 50 mPas or less.

2. A method of treating carious enamel lesions, comprising:

i) removing a thin surface layer of a enamel lesion using an etching agent;

ii) rinsing to remove said etching agent from said lesion;

iii) drying said lesion with a drying agent;

iv) infiltrating said lesion with an infiltrant comprising crosslinking monomers, said infiltrant comprising 0.05%-20% by weight of acid-group-containing monomers and 20% by weight or less of solvent, and having a dynamic viscosity at 23° C. of 50 mPas or less; and

v) curing the infiltrant in said lesion.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant has a dynamic viscosity at 23° C. of 30 mPas or less.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant has a dynamic viscosity at 23° C. of 20 mPas or less.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant comprises less than 5% by weight of water.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant comprises less than 2% by weight of water.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant contains 10%, by weight or less of solvent.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant contains essentially no solvent.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant has a penetration coefficient PC>50 cm/s.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant has a penetration coefficient PC>100 cm/s.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant further comprises monomers having one polymerizable group.

12. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant comprises crosslinking monomers having two polymerizable groups, wherein said two polymerizable groups are esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein the amount of acid-group-containing monomers is 0.1% to 15%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

14. The method of claim 2 , wherein the acid-group-containing monomers contain phosphoric and/or phosphonic acid groups.

15. The method of claim 2 , wherein the acid-group-containing monomers contain one or two polymerizable group(s).

16. The method of claim 2 , wherein the acid-group-containing monomers are acrylates, methacrylates, acrylamides and/or methylacrylamides.

17. The method of claim 2 , wherein the amount of acid-group-containing monomers is 0.2% to 10%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

18. The method of claim 2 , wherein the amount of acid-group-containing monomers is 0.5% to 5%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

19. The method of claim 2 , wherein the amount of acid-group-containing monomers is 0.5% to 2%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

20. The method of claim 7 , wherein the acid-group-containing monomers contain one polymerizable group.

21. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having two polymerizable groups is 99.8% to 50%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

22. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having two polymerizable groups is 99.5% to 60%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

23. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having two polymerizable groups is 99% to 60%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

24. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having two polymerizable groups is 99% to 70%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

25. The method of claim 12 , wherein said esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid are selected from the group consisting of allyl methacrylate; allyl acrylate; PRDMA, 1,3-propanediol dimethacrylate; BDMA, 1,3-butanediol dimethacrylate; BDDMA, 1,4-butanediol dimethacrylate; PDDMA, 1,5-pentanediol dimethacrylate, NPGDMA, neopentyl glycol dimethacrylate; HDDMA, 1,6-hexanediol dimethacrylate; NDDMA, 1,9-nonanediol dimethacrylate; DDDMA, 1,10-decanediol dimethacrylate; DDDDMA, 1,12-dodecanediol dimethacrylate; PRDA, 1,3-propanediol diacrylate; BDA, 1,3-butanediol diacrylate; BDDA, 1,4-butanediol diacrylate; PDDA, 1,5-pentanediol diacrylate; NPGDA, neopentyl glycol diacrylate; HDDA, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate; NDDA, 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate; DDDA, 1,10-decanediol diacrylate; DDDDA, 1,12-dodecanediol dimethacrylate; EGDMA, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate; DEGDMA, diethylene glycol dimethacrylate; TEDMA, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate; TEGDMA, tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate; EGDA, ethylene glycol diacrylate; DEGDA, diethylene glycol diacrylate; TEDA, triethylene glycol diacrylate; TEGDA, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate; PEG200DMA, polyethylene glycol 200 dimethacrylate; PEG300DMA, polyethylene glycol 300 dimethacrylate; PEG400DMA, polyethylene glycol 400 dimethacrylate; PEG600DMA, polyethylene glycol 600 dimethacrylate; PEG200DA, polyethylene glycol 200 diacrylate; PEG300DA, polyethylene glycol 300 diacrylate; PEG400DA, polyethylene glycol 400 diacrylate; PEG600DA, polyethylene glycol 600 diacrylate; PPGDMA, polypropylene glycol dimethacrylate; PPGDA, polypropylene glycol diacrylate; NPG (PO) 2DMA, propoxylated (2) neopentyl glycol dimethacrylate; NPG (PO) 2DA, propoxylated (2) neopentyl glycol diacrylate; bis-MA, bisphenol A dimethacrylate; bis-GMA, bisphenol A glycerol dimethacrylate; BPA (EO) DMA, ethoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate (EO=1-30); BPA (PO) DMA, propoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate (PO=1-30); BPA (EO) DA, ethoxylated bisphenol A diacrylate (EO=1-30); BPA (PO) DA, propoxylated bisphenol A diacrylate (PO=1-30); BPA (PO) GDA, propoxylated bisphenol A glycerol diacrylate; UDMA, diurethane dimethacrylate; TCDDMA, tricyclo[5.2.1.0]decanedimethanol dimethacrylates; TCDDA, tricyclo[5.2.1.0]decanedimethanol diacrylates; EBA, N,N′-ethylenebisacrylamide; DHEBA, N,N′-(1,2-dihydroxyethylene)bisacrylamide; DEPBA, N,N′-diethyl(1,3-propylene)bisacrylamide; TMHMBMA, N,N′-(2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylene)bismethacrylamide; and bis[2-(2-methylacrylamino)ethoxycarbonyl]hexamethylenediamine.

26. The method of claim 2 , wherein said infiltrant comprises crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein 0% to 50% of said crosslinking monomers have at least three polymerizable groups.

28. The method of claim 26 , wherein the crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups have the formula below

R 1 [X k R 2 1 Y m ] n

having the following definitions:

R 1 is a linear or branched hydrocarbon having 3-24 C atoms, comprising alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl;

R 2 is a linear or branched hydrocarbon having 1-16 C atoms, comprising alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl;

X is a linking group identically or differently selected from an ether group, carbonyl group, ester group, amide group, urethane group or urea group;

Y is a group identically or differently containing a polymerizable double bond and/or a ring-openingly polymerizable group and/or a thiol group and/or an epoxide group and/or a vinyl, preferably (meth)acrylate and/or (meth)acrylamide;

k is 0 or 1;

l is 0 or 1;

m is a least 1;

n is at least 1; and

m×n is at least 3.

29. The infiltrant of claim 26 , wherein the crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups are selected from the group consisting of TMPTMA, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate; TMPTA, trimethylolpropane triacrylate; DTMPTA, ditrimethylolpropane tetra(meth)acrylate; diPENTA, dipentaerythritol penta(meth)acrylate; GPTA, propoxylated glyceryl tri(meth)acrylate; DPEHA, dipentaerythritol hexa(meth)acrylate; and ethoxylated trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate.

30. The method of claim 26 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups is 10% to 50%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

31. The method of claim 26 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups is 10% to 30%, of the infiltrant, by weight.

32. The method of claim 26 , wherein the crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups have a distance between crosslinking points of at least 7 bond lengths.

33. The method of claim 26 , wherein the crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups have a distance between crosslinking points of not more than 50 bond lengths.

34. The method of claim 26 , wherein the crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups have a distance between crosslinking points of 11 to 21 bond lengths.

35. The method of claim 26 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups and a distance between crosslinking points of less than 10 bond lengths, based on the total mass of the monomers is less than 20% by weight.

36. The method of claim 25 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups and a distance between crosslinking points of less than 10 bond lengths, based on the total mass of the monomers is less than 10% by weight.

37. The method of claim 25 , wherein the fraction of crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups and a distance between crosslinking points of less than 10 bond lengths, based on the total mass of the monomers is less than 5% by weight.

38. The method of claim 28 , wherein R 1 contains O, N, Si, S, and/or P as heteroatoms.

39. The method of claim 28 , wherein R 1 comprises one or more of siloxane, cyclosiloxane, carbosilane, cyclocarbosilane, an ether group, a polyether group, a polyester group, a polysiloxane group and/or a polycarbosilane group.

40. The method of claim 28 , wherein R 1 is substituted by one or more of an hydroxyl, a carbonyl, a halogen, an ammonium-alkylene groups, a siloxane, a cyclosiloxane, a carbosilane and/or a cyclocarbosilane.

41. The method of claim 40 , wherein said halogen is fluorine.

42. The method of claim 28 , wherein R 2 contains O, N, Si, S, and/or P as heteroatoms.

43. The method of claim 28 , wherein R 2 comprises one or more of siloxane, cyclosiloxane, carbosilane, cyclocarbosilane, an ether group, a polyether group, a polyester group, a polysiloxane group and/or a polycarbosilane group.

44. The method of claim 28 , wherein R 2 is substituted by one or more of an hydroxyl, a carbonyl, a halogen, an ammonium-alkylene groups, a siloxane, a cyclosiloxane, a carbosilane and/or a cyclocarbosilane.

45. The method of claim 44 , wherein said halogen is fluorine.

46. The method of claim 26 , wherein the crosslinking monomers having at least three polymerizable groups are selected from the group consisting of propoxylated glyceryl tri(meth)acrylate; ethoxylated trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate, propoxylated trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, propoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol trimethacrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol triacrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol tetramethacrylate, ethoxylated pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol trimethacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol tetramethacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol pentamethacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol hexamethacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol triacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol tetraacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate, ethoxylated dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol trimethacrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol triacrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol tetramethacrylate, propoxylated pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, propoxylated dipentaerythritol trimethacrylate, propoxylated dipentaerythritol tetramethacrylate, propoxylated dipentaerythritol pentamethacrylate, propoxylated dipentaerythritol hexamethacrylate, propoxylated dipentaerythritol triacrylate, propoxylated dipentaerythritol tetraacrylate, propoxylated dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate and propoxylated dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate.

47. The method of claim 2 , wherein said etching agent is a gel of a strong acid.

48. The method of claim 47 , wherein said strong acid is hydrochloric acid.

49. The method of claim 2 , wherein said drying agent is a non-toxic solvent with a vapor pressure greater than 23 mbar at 20° C., selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ketones, ethers and esters.

50. The method of claim 49 , wherein said drying agent comprises ethanol.

51. The method of claim 49 , wherein said drying agent comprises a film-former.

52. A kit comprising:

i) an etching agent

ii) a drying agent; and

iii) an infiltrant comprising crosslinking monomers, said infiltrant comprising 0.05% to 20% by weight of acid-group-containing monomers and 20% by weight or less of solvent, and having a dynamic viscosity at 23° C. of 50 mPas or less.

53. The kit of claim 52 , wherein said etching agent is a gel of a strong acid.

54. The kit of claim 53 , wherein said strong acid is hydrochloric acid.

55. The kit of claim 52 , wherein said drying agent is a non-toxic solvent with a vapor pressure greater than 23 mbar at 20° C., selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ketones, ethers and esters.

56. The kit of claim 55 , wherein said drying agent comprises ethanol.

57. The kit of claim 52 , wherein said drying agent comprises a film-former.