A comparative assessment of color stability among various commercial resin composites.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to evaluate the color stability of six commercial restorative resin composites after being exposed to commonly consumed beverages. Repolishing impact on the stained composite was also assessed. METHODS: One-hundred and fifty disc specimens (8 mm diameter & 3 mm thickness) were prepared from Filtek™ Universal Restorative, SDR flow+, everX Flow, G-ænial A'CHORD, G-ænial Universal Flo and G-ænial Universal Injectable. To assess the color stability in five various beverages, 25 specimens from each material were randomly distributed into five groups (n = 5), according to the utilized staining solution. Group 1: distilled water, Group 2: coffee, Group 3: red wine, Group 4: energy drink, Group 5: coke. The color changes (∆E) for all materials were measured using spectrophotometer at the baseline, after 84 days of staining and after repolishing. Data was collected and analyzed using ANOVA (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Both material type and staining solution had a significant effect on the color stability of specimens (p < 0.05). Compared to other beverages, the color value of the specimens submerged in coffee and wine showed the most statistically significant (p < 0.05) mean ∆E. SDR flow + in coffee and wine presented the highest ∆E when compared to other tested materials (p < 0.05). After staining of the composites, repolishing was successful in lowering the ∆E value. CONCLUSIONS: All the beverages had an impact on the color stability of the tested resin composites, with coffee and wine demonstrating the most significant effects. The variations in color stability varied depending on the specific material utilized. Dentists should possess awareness regarding the chemical interactions that occur between different beverages and various types of resin composites. Additionally, repolishing serves as an effective technique for eliminating surface discoloration in composite restorations.

Effect of pretreatment with collagen crosslinkers on dentin protease activity.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effect of dentin pretreatment with collagen crosslinkers on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and cathepsin K mediated collagen degradation. METHODS: Dentin beams (1mm×2mm×6mm) were demineralized in 10% H3PO4 for 24h. After baseline measurements of dry mass, beams were divided into 11 groups (n=10/group) and, were pretreated for 5min with 1% glutaraldehyde (GA); 5% GA; 1% grape-seed extract (GS); 5% GS; 10% sumac (S); 20µM curcumin (CR); 200µM CR; 0.l% riboflavin/UV (R); 0.5% R; 0.1% riboflavin-5-phosphate/UV (RP); and control (no pretreatment). After pretreatment, the beams were blot-dried and incubated in 1mL calcium and zinc-containing medium (CM, pH 7.2) at 37°C for 3, 7 or 14 days. After incubation, dry mass was reassessed and aliquots of the incubation media were analyzed for collagen C-telopeptides, ICTP and CTX using specific ELISA kits. Data were analyzed by repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The rate of dry mass loss was significantly different among test groups (p<0.05). The lowest 14 day mean dry mass loss was 6.98%±1.99 in the 200µM curcumin group compared to control loss of dry mass at 32.59%±5.62, p<0.05, at 14 days. The ICTP release over the incubation period (ng/mg dry dentin) ranged between 1.8±0.51 and 31.8±1.8. CTX release from demineralized beams pretreated with crosslinkers was significantly lower than CM (5.7±0.2ng/mg dry dentin). SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study indicate that collagen crosslinkers tested in this study are good inhibitors of cathepsin K activity in dentin. However, their inhibitory effect on MMP activity was highly variable.

Bond strength of resin composite to differently conditioned amalgam.

Bulk fracture of teeth, where a part of the amalgam restoration and/or the cusp is fractured, is a common clinical problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different surface conditioning methods on the shear bond strength of a hybrid resin composite to fresh amalgam. Amalgams (N=84) were condensed into acrylic and randomly assigned to one of the following treatments (N=6): (1) Alloy primer + opaquer, (2) Air-particle abrasion (50 micro m Al(2)O(3)) + alloy primer + opaquer, (3) Silica coating (30 micro m SiO(x)) + silanization + opaquer, (4) Opaquer + pre-impregnated continuous bidirectional E-glass fibre sheets, (5) Silica coating + silanization + fibre sheets, (6) Silica coating + silanization + opaquer + fibre sheet application. Non-conditioned amalgam surfaces were considered as control group (7). The mean surface roughness depth (R(Z)) was measured from the control group and air-abraded amalgam surfaces. The resin composite was bonded to the conditioned amalgam specimens using polyethylene molds. All specimens were tested under dry and thermocycled (6.000, 5-55 degrees C, 30 s) conditions. The shear bond strength of resin composite to amalgam substrates was measured in a universal testing machine (1 mm/min). Surface roughness values for the non-conditioned control group (R(Z) approximately 0.14 micro m) and for air-particle abraded surfaces with either Al(2)O(3) or SiO(x) (R(Z) approximately 0.19 micro m and R(Z) approximately 0.16 micro m, respectively) did not show significant differences (p=0.23) (One-way ANOVA). In dry conditions, silica coating and silanization followed by fibre sheet application exhibited significantly higher results (14.8+/-5.6 MPa) than those of the groups conditioned with alloy primer (2.2+/-0.7 MPa) (p<0.001), air-particle abrasion+alloy primer (4.4+/-2.0 MPa, p<0.001), silica coating+silanization alone (6.2+/-0.8 MPa, p=0.009) or non-conditioned group (1.4+/-0.6, p<0.001). Silica coating and silanization followed by additional fibre sheets with opaquer application (23.6+/-6.9 MPa) increased the bond strength significantly compared to those of other groups (group 5 vs group 6, p=0.007; other groups vs group 6, p<0.001). Thermocycling decreased the bond strengths significantly for all of the conditioning methods tested (for group 1, p<0.001; for group 2, p=0.013; for group 3, p=0.002; for group 4, p=0.026; for group 5, p=0.002; for group 6, p<0.001 and for group 7, p<0.001).

Isocyanato- and methacryloxysilanes promote Bis-GMA adhesion to titanium.

In dentistry, adhesion promotion with 3-methacryloyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane is usually sufficient, but its hydrolytic stability is a continuous concern. The hydrolytic stability of an alternative, 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, was compared with that of conventional 3-methacryloyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. Two silanes, both in 0.1 and 1.0 vol-% in ethanol-water, were evaluated in the attachment of an experimental bis-phenol-A-diglycidyldimethacrylate (Bis-GMA) resin to grit-blasted (with two different systems) titanium. Silane hydrolysis was monitored by FTIR spectrometry. Bis-GMA resin was applied and photo-polymerized on titanium. The specimens were thermocycled (6000 cycles, 5-55 degrees C). Surface analysis was carried out with scanning electron microscopy. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) showed that the highest shear bond was achieved with 0.1% 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane (12.5 MPa) with silica-coating, and the lowest with 1.0% 3-methacryloyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (3.4 MPa) with alumina-coating. The silane, its concentration, and the grit-blasting method significantly affected the shear bond strength (p < 0.05). SEM images indicated cohesive failure of bonding, and, in conclusion, 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane is a potential coupling agent.

Adhesion of glass ionomer cement to a ceramometal alloy.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Glass ionomer cements can be used for restoring minor caries lesions, sealing an endodontic access, and repairing defective margins of inlay-onlay restorations. Little information is available on the adhesion between ceramometal alloys and various types of glass ionomer cements. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether the adhesion of glass ionomer cement to the surface of a ceramometal alloy could be enhanced with pretreatment of the alloy surface. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six groups of five specimens were either ground with a diamond bur, sandblasted with aluminum oxide, or ground with a silicon-carbide stone before bonding to either conventional glass ionomer or resin-glass ionomer cements. Resistance to bond failure was tested with a three-point loading test. RESULTS: The results revealed that the greatest resistance to bond failure was obtained by the resin-glass ionomer cement to the sandblasted alloy surface and the least resistance by the glass ionomer cement to the diamond ground alloy surface (p < 0.001). Both the type of glass ionomer cement (p = 0.002) and the type of mechanical treatment (p = 0.001) affected the resistance to bond failure. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that pretreatment of alloy surfaces with a sandblasting device may be recommended when repairing marginal defects of alloy restorations with glass ionomers. Resin-glass ionomer cements seem to give better adhesion than conventional glass ionomer cements do.

Effect of metal strengthener's surface roughness on fracture resistance of acrylic denture base material.

The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of the surface roughness of various metal wires on the fracture resistance of the acrylic test specimens. The number of test groups compared were 16, and there were 30 test specimens in each group. The investigation showed that the surface roughening of the metal wires used to reinforce acrylic resin denture base material increased the fracture resistance of the test specimens. The best results were achieved by sandblasting. The differences in resistance were also statistically significant.