Assessment of a highly-filled flowable composite for the repair of indirect composites.

PURPOSE: To compare the shear-bond-strength (SBS) of a highly-filled-flowable composite (HFFC) and a paste-type composite for indirect composite repair and to evaluate the effect of different surface treatments (ST), concerning the composite repair protocol. METHODS: Eighty-four 5 × 5 × 2 mm cylindrical specimens were prepared using Gradia Plus and SR Nexco indirect composite materials. The samples were thermocycled 5,000 times. According to the ST, the samples were divided into three groups (control, bur, and air-abrasion). After ST, the sample subgroups were divided into two sub-groups according to the repair material: paste-type composite and HFFC (n = 7). Another 5,000 cycles of aging were performed. SBS values were measured with a universal testing machine (Shimadzu, Japan). Shapiro-Wilk, 3-way ANOVA, and Tukey HSD test were used to evaluate data (P < 0.05). RESULTS: ST was considered significant for SBS (P < 0.001). The mean values were (13.9 ± 5.7), (17.0 ± 6.4), (20.4 ± 4.9) MPa for the control, bur and phosphoric acid, and air-abrasion groups, respectively. The surface treatment and repair material interaction was considered significant for SBS (P = 0.044). The highest mean bond strength (24.5 ± 4.5 MPa) was observed for the interaction of SR Nexco, air-abrasion ST, and HFFC repair. CONCLUSION: Repairing with HFFC following air abrasion might enhance the SBS for indirect composite restorations.

Clinical assessment of various imaging systems for dental plaque scoring after the use of 3 different toothpastes.

Purpose: This study was conducted to compare dental plaque scores obtained through clinical examinations and various imaging techniques, as well as to assess the effectiveness of herbal and conventional toothpastes for plaque removal. Material and Methods: Thirty volunteers were divided into 3 groups. Each group was given a different toothpaste (from 2 herbal toothpastes and a conventional toothpaste) with which to brush their teeth for 21 days. Both initially and after brushing, dental plaque samples were collected, and plaque on the buccal surfaces of anterior teeth was scored using several imaging systems after staining with a disclosing agent. Specifically, digital dental photography, intraoral digital scanning, and FluoreCam imaging were employed to capture intraoral images. The Turesky Modified Quigley-Hein Plaque Index was used for clinical examination and image analysis. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses and correlational assessments between clinical examination and imaging scores were conducted before and after toothpaste use. The Shapiro-Wilk test and Pearson correlations were utilized. Results: The lowest mean value was observed in the clinical examination without staining, while the highest was obtained using the FluoreCam method. No significant change was found in the level of any microorganism assessed following toothpaste use (P<0.05), with the exception of a decrease in S. mutans levels after using conventional toothpaste (P<0.05). Conclusion: Herbal toothpaste demonstrated plaque-removal effectiveness comparable to that of conventional toothpaste. The use of imaging methods for measuring plaque index has been suggested as a means to educate patients about plaque control and promote ongoing oral care.