{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T16:18:09Z","timestamp":1790957889290,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,23]],"date-time":"2023-12-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1703289600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)","award":["81870812"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81870812"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JFB"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study comprehensively reviewed the types, properties and potential applications of copper materials for caries management. Two researchers independently searched English publications using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. They screened the titles and abstracts of publications presenting original studies for review. They included 34 publications on copper materials, which were categorized as copper and copper alloy materials (13\/34, 38%), copper salt materials (13\/34, 38%) and copper oxide materials (8\/34, 24%). All reported copper materials inhibited the growth of cariogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans. The materials could be doped into topical agents, restorative fillers, dental adhesives, drinking water, dental implants, orthodontic appliances, mouthwash and sugar. Most publications (29\/34, 83%) were laboratory studies, five (5\/34, 14%) were animal studies and only one paper (1\/34, 3%) was clinical research. In conclusion, copper and copper alloy materials, copper salt materials and copper oxide materials have an antimicrobial property that inhibits cariogenic bacteria and Candida albicans. These copper materials may be incorporated into dental materials and even drinking water and sugar for caries prevention. Most publications are laboratory studies. Further clinical studies are essential to validate the effectiveness of copper materials in caries prevention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jfb15010010","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,24]],"date-time":"2023-12-24T20:42:30Z","timestamp":1703450550000},"page":"10","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Copper Materials for Caries Management: A Scoping Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9084-4001","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Veena Wenqing","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6041-1907","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed Zahedul Islam","family":"Nizami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China"},{"name":"Department of Mineralized Tissue Biology and Bioengineering, The Forsyth Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1167-2999","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iris Xiaoxue","family":"Yin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3471-180X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John Yun","family":"Niu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5310-5039","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ollie Yiru","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8167-0430","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chun-Hung","family":"Chu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1875-595X.2008.tb00185.x","article-title":"World Health Organization Global Policy for Improvement of Oral Health\u2014World Health Assembly 2007","volume":"58","author":"Petersen","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int. Dent. J."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Collaborators GDaIIaP (2018). Global, Regional, and National Incidence, Prevalence, and Years Lived with Disability for 354 Diseases and Injuries for 195 Countries and Territories, 1990\u20132017: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet, 392, 1789\u20131858."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(07)60031-2","article-title":"Dental Caries","volume":"369","author":"Selwitz","year":"2007","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Niu, J.Y., Yin, I.X., Wu, W.K.K., Li, Q.L., Mei, M.L., and Chu, C.H. (2021). Antimicrobial Peptides for the Prevention and Treatment of Dental Caries: A Concise Review. Arch. Oral. Biol., 122.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.archoralbio.2020.105022"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104309","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdent.2022.104309","article-title":"Effects of a 445 Nm Diode Laser and Silver Diamine Fluoride in Preventing Enamel Demineralisation and Inhibiting Cariogenic Bacteria","volume":"126","author":"Xue","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Dent."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.1038\/s41405-023-00153-9","article-title":"Effect of Silver Diamine Fluoride\/Potassium Iodide Treatment on the Prevention of Dental Erosion in Primary Teeth: An in Vitro Study","volume":"9","author":"Gadallah","year":"2023","journal-title":"BDJ Open"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3207","DOI":"10.2147\/IJN.S243202","article-title":"Synthesis and Characterization of Fluoridated Silver Nanoparticles and Their Potential as a Non-Staining Anti-Caries Agent","volume":"15","author":"Yin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Nanomed."},{"key":"ref_8","first-page":"80","article-title":"Historic Uses of Copper Compounds in Medicine","volume":"2","author":"Dollwet","year":"1985","journal-title":"Trace Elem. Med."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"217","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhin.2012.05.009","article-title":"Application of Copper to Prevent and Control Infection. Where Are We Now?","volume":"81","author":"Humphreys","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Hosp. Infect."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1177\/00220345840630011101","article-title":"The Effect of an Antibacterial Solution on the Microflora of Human Incipient Fissure Caries","volume":"63","author":"Meiers","year":"1984","journal-title":"J. Dent. Res."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.1159\/000260761","article-title":"Effect of Topical Application of Copper in Combination with Fluoride in Drinking Water on Experimental Caries in Rats","volume":"18","author":"Afseth","year":"1984","journal-title":"Caries Res."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e15326","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2023.e15326","article-title":"Recent Advances in the Use of Inorganic Nanomaterials as Anti Caries Agents","volume":"9","author":"Hasan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Essa, A.M., and Khallaf, M.K. (2016). Antimicrobial Potential of Consolidation Polymers Loaded with Biological Copper Nanoparticles. BMC Microbiol., 16.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12866-016-0766-8"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5809","DOI":"10.2147\/IJN.S389038","article-title":"Caries Management with Non-Metallic Nanomaterials: A Systematic Review","volume":"17","author":"Xu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Nanomed."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"546","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdent.2015.02.012","article-title":"Incorporation of Bactericidal Poly-Acrylic Acid Modified Copper Iodide Particles into Adhesive Resins","volume":"43","author":"Sabatini","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Dent."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29985","DOI":"10.1038\/srep29985","article-title":"Antibacterial Effect of Copper-Bearing Titanium Alloy (Ti-Cu) against Streptococcus Mutans and Porphyromonas Gingivalis","volume":"6","author":"Liu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"389","DOI":"10.4012\/dmj.2019-046","article-title":"Antibacterial Activity of a Glass Ionomer Cement Doped with Copper Nanoparticles","volume":"39","author":"Aparicio","year":"2020","journal-title":"Dent. Mater. J."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pasha, M., Muhammad, N., Nayyer, M., Bokhari, J.H., Ashraf, H., Safi, S.Z., and Kaleem, M. (2020). Synthesis of an Anti-Cariogenic Experimental Dental Composite Containing Novel Drug-Decorated Copper Particles. Mater. Sci. Eng. C Mater. Biol. Appl., 114.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.msec.2020.111040"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"33398","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ceramint.2021.08.246","article-title":"Optimized Synthesis of Novel Hydroxyapatite\/Cuo\/Tio2 Nanocomposite with High Antibacterial Activity against Oral Pathogen Streptococcus Mutans","volume":"47","author":"Imani","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ceram. Int."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7727","DOI":"10.2147\/IJN.S303521","article-title":"Graphene Oxide-Copper Nanocomposites Suppress Cariogenic Streptococcus Mutans Biofilm Formation","volume":"16","author":"Mao","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int. J. Nanomed."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bang, S.J., Jun, S.K., Kim, Y.J., Ahn, J.Y., Vu, H.T., Mandakhbayar, N., Han, M.R., Lee, J.H., Kim, J.B., and Kim, J.S. (2022). Characterization of Physical and Biological Properties of a Caries-Arresting Liquid Containing Copper Doped Bioglass Nanoparticles. Pharmaceutics, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/pharmaceutics14061137"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28427","DOI":"10.1021\/acsami.2c00887","article-title":"Fast Cross-Linked Hydrogel as a Green Light-Activated Photocatalyst for Localized Biofilm Disruption and Brush-Free Tooth Whitening","volume":"14","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"434","DOI":"10.1159\/000260799","article-title":"Effect of Copper Applied Topically or in Drinking Water on Experimental Caries in Rats","volume":"18","author":"Afseth","year":"1984","journal-title":"Caries Res."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"367","DOI":"10.1159\/000262344","article-title":"Effect of Copper Co-Crystallized with Sugar on Caries Development in Desalivated Rats","volume":"30","author":"Rosalen","year":"1996","journal-title":"Caries Res."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1011","DOI":"10.1177\/154405910608501107","article-title":"The Effect of Copper on Demineralization of Dental Enamel","volume":"85","author":"Abdullah","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Dent. Res."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"321","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pnsc.2014.07.002","article-title":"Synthesis, Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of Copper, Nickel and Bimetallic Cu-Ni Nanoparticles for Potential Use in Dental Materials","volume":"24","year":"2014","journal-title":"Prog. Nat. Sci. -Mater. Int."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"720","DOI":"10.1002\/aoc.3190","article-title":"Synthesis and Characterization of Transition Metal Complexes of Hydrochloride Salt of 3-Chlorobenzaldehyde Hydralazine Hydrazone: A New Class of Possible Anti-Cariogenic Agents","volume":"28","author":"Bakale","year":"2014","journal-title":"Appl. Organomet. Chem."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e327","DOI":"10.4317\/jced.51376","article-title":"An in Vitro Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Novel Iontophoresis Fluoride Tray on Remineralization","volume":"6","author":"Girenes","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Clin. Exp. Dent."},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"200","article-title":"Comparison of Antibacterial Effects of Zno and Cuo Nanoparticles Coated Brackets against Streptococcus Mutans","volume":"16","author":"Ramazanzadeh","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Dent."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"369","DOI":"10.1007\/s00784-016-1799-y","article-title":"Antibacterial Properties of Copper Iodide-Doped Glass Ionomer-Based Materials and Effect of Copper Iodide Nanoparticles on Collagen Degradation","volume":"21","author":"Lindner","year":"2017","journal-title":"Clin. Oral. Investig."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"379","DOI":"10.4012\/dmj.2017-195","article-title":"Synthesis of Hybrid Copper-Chitosan Nanoparticles with Antibacterial Activity against Cariogenic Streptococcus Mutans","volume":"37","author":"Covarrubias","year":"2018","journal-title":"Dent. Mater. J."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1452","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijbiomac.2020.11.099","article-title":"Chitosan Capping of Cuo Nanoparticles: Facile Chemical Preparation, Biological Analysis, and Applications in Dentistry","volume":"167","author":"Javed","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int. J. Biol. Macromol."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Altankhishig, B., Matsuda, Y., Nagano-Takebe, F., Okuyama, K., Yamamoto, H., Sakurai, M., Naito, K., Hayashi, M., Sano, H., and Sidhu, S.K. (2022). Potential of Fluoride-Containing Zinc Oxide and Copper Oxide Nanocomposites on Dentin Bonding Ability. Nanomaterials, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/nano12081291"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ashour, A.A., Felemban, M.F., Felemban, N.H., Enan, E.T., Basha, S., Hassan, M.M., and Gad El-Rab, S.M.F. (2022). Comparison and Advanced Antimicrobial Strategies of Silver and Copper Nanodrug-Loaded Glass Ionomer Cement against Dental Caries Microbes. Antibiotics, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics11060756"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"580","DOI":"10.1007\/s12598-021-01826-w","article-title":"Antibacterial Property of a Gradient Cu-Bearing Titanium Alloy by Laser Additive Manufacturing","volume":"41","author":"Fan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Rare Met."},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"390","article-title":"Effect of Copper Fluoride and Copper Sulfate on Dental Plaque, Streptococcus Mutans and Caries in Hamsters","volume":"96","author":"Maltz","year":"1988","journal-title":"Scand. J. Dent. Res."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1016\/S0003-9969(02)00162-0","article-title":"Copper Ions Inhibit the Demineralisation of Human Enamel","volume":"48","author":"Brookes","year":"2003","journal-title":"Arch. Oral. Biol."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"416","DOI":"10.1159\/000073393","article-title":"Ion Release from Copper Phosphate Cement and Influence on Streptococcus Mutans Growth in Vitro: A Comparative Study","volume":"37","author":"Foley","year":"2003","journal-title":"Caries Res."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"142","DOI":"10.2341\/07-50","article-title":"Anticariogenic and Antibacterial Properties of a Copper Varnish Using an in Vitro Microbial Caries Model","volume":"33","author":"Thneibat","year":"2008","journal-title":"Oper. Dent."},{"key":"ref_40","first-page":"347","article-title":"Antimicrobial Effect of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles on Some Oral Bacteria and Candida Species","volume":"4","author":"Amiri","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Dent. Biomater."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"294","DOI":"10.1111\/eos.12355","article-title":"Bacterial Colonization of Resin Composite Cements: Influence of Material Composition and Surface Roughness","volume":"125","author":"Glauser","year":"2017","journal-title":"Eur. J. Oral. Sci."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Guti\u00e9rrez, M.F., Bermudez, J., D\u00e1vila-S\u00e1nchez, A., Alegr\u00eda-Acevedo, L.F., M\u00e9ndez-Bauer, L., Hern\u00e1ndez, M., Astorga, J., Reis, A., Loguercio, A.D., and Farago, P.V. (2019). Zinc Oxide and Copper Nanoparticles Addition in Universal Adhesive Systems Improve Interface Stability on Caries-Affected Dentin. J. Mech. Behav. Biomed. Mater., 100.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmbbm.2019.07.024"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lan, Y., Yang, J., Liu, X., Zhao, H., Zhang, X., Yin, X., Yang, C., Yang, K., and Liu, Y. (2022). Inhibition Efficiency of 304-Cu Stainless Steel against Oral Bacterial Biofilm. J. Appl. Biomater. Funct. Mater., 20.","DOI":"10.1177\/22808000211065259"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"118","DOI":"10.4103\/ccd.ccd_424_20","article-title":"Assessing the Antimicrobial Properties of Copper-Iodide Doped Adhesives in an in Vitro Caries Model: A Pilot Study","volume":"13","author":"Mennito","year":"2022","journal-title":"Contemp. Clin. Dent."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137214","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cej.2022.137214","article-title":"Bacterial Biofilm Microenvironment Responsive Copper-Doped Zinc Peroxide Nanocomposites for Enhancing Chemodynamic Therapy","volume":"446","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chem. Eng. J."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nimb.2019.06.039","article-title":"Antibacterial Effect of a Fluoride-Containing Zno\/Cuo Nanocomposite","volume":"458","author":"Matsuda","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. B-Beam Interact. Mater. At."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"587","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijantimicag.2008.12.004","article-title":"Characterisation of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles for Antimicrobial Applications","volume":"33","author":"Ren","year":"2009","journal-title":"Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents"},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Xu, V.W., Nizami, M.Z.I., Yin, I.X., Yu, O.Y., Lung, C.Y.K., and Chu, C.H. (2022). Application of Copper Nanoparticles in Dentistry. Nanomaterials, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/nano12050805"},{"key":"ref_49","first-page":"Zc05","article-title":"Fabrication and Appraisal of Poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid)\u2014Moxifloxacin Nanoparticles Using Vitamin E-Tpgs: A Potential Intracanal Drug Delivery Agent","volume":"11","author":"Makkar","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Clin. Diagn. Res."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2555","DOI":"10.2147\/IJN.S246764","article-title":"The Antibacterial Mechanism of Silver Nanoparticles and Its Application in Dentistry","volume":"15","author":"Yin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Nanomed."},{"key":"ref_51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3056","DOI":"10.1039\/C4CS00478G","article-title":"Noble Metal Alloy Complex Nanostructures: Controllable Synthesis and Their Electrochemical Property","volume":"44","author":"Liu","year":"2015","journal-title":"Chem. Soc. Rev."},{"key":"ref_52","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rawashdeh, R.Y., Qabaja, G., and Albiss, B.A. (2023). Antibacterial Activity Of multi-Metallic (Ag\u2013Cu\u2013Li) Nanorods with Different Metallic Combination Ratios against Staphylococcus Aureus. BMC Res. Notes, 16.","DOI":"10.1186\/s13104-023-06284-4"},{"key":"ref_53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"675","DOI":"10.1111\/jpn.13025","article-title":"The Effect of Copper Nanoparticles and Copper (Ii) Salt on Redox Reactions and Epigenetic Changes in a Rat Model","volume":"103","author":"Ognik","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.1007\/s10653-016-9824-2","article-title":"Copper Sulphate Use in South African Traditional Medicine","volume":"39","author":"Street","year":"2017","journal-title":"Environ. Geochem. Health"}],"container-title":["Journal of Functional Biomaterials"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-4983\/15\/1\/10\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T21:41:05Z","timestamp":1760132465000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-4983\/15\/1\/10"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,23]]},"references-count":54,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,1]]}},"alternative-id":["jfb15010010"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jfb15010010","relation":{},"ISSN":["2079-4983"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2079-4983","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,23]]}}}