The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity, physicochemical properties of the quaternary ammonium dimethacrylate monomer N,N-bis[2-(3-(methacryloyloxy)propanamido)-ethyl]-N-methylhexadecyl ammonium bromide (IMQ-16) containing diurethane dimethacrylate (UDMA)/tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate (SR833s) resin system and compare with bisphenylglycidyl dimethacrylate (Bis-GMA)/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) resin system. It was hypothesized that the physical and chemical properties of the experimental polymers would be comparable with Bis-GMA/TEGDMA polymer and IMQ-16 monomer could endow the UDMA/SR833s resin with antibacterial activity. Double bond conversion (DC) was measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Mechanical properties including flexural strength (FS) and flexural modulus (FM) were measured by three-point bending test with bars of 2 mm x 2 mm x 25 mm. Water sorption (WS) and solubility (WSL) were also investigated. Antibacterial activity of obtained polymers against Streptococcus mutans Ingbitt (S. mutans) was tested through direct contact test (DCT). The presence of antibacterial activity due to soluble components was also investigated by agar diffusion test (ADT). All of the polymers containing IMQ-16 exhibited improvements in WS and WSL, while maintaining equivalent DC and FS relative to the BisGMA/TEGDMA control system. Incorporation of 17% and 20% of IMQ-16 into UDMA/SR833s resin reduced the viable counts of S. mutans after incubation on the surface of the materials and produced no inhibition zones around the cured discs in ADT. UDMA/SR833s resin system is promising to formulate an antibacterial polymer with equivalent or even higher physicochemical properties relative to Bis-GMA/TEGDMA formulation. IMQ-16 is capable to endow UDMA/SR833s resin system with significant antibacterial activity when the mass ratio is 17% or 20%. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.