Effect of high-concentration bleaching agents on dentin bonding: an in vitro study.

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of high-concentration hydrogen peroxide (HP) and carbamide peroxide (CP) bleaching solutions on the dentin-resin interface and the shear bond strength (SBS) of restorative materials. A total of 56 extracted human premolars were prepared with flat dentin windows and divided into groups according to the bleaching protocol: group A, bleached with 35% HP (n = 24); group B, bleached with 35% CP (n = 24); and group C, control, no bleaching (n = 8). Groups A and B were each divided into 3 subgroups according to the time of bonding: A0 or B0, bonded immediately after bleaching (n = 8); A1 or B1, bonded 1 week after bleaching (n = 8); and A2 or B2, bonded 2 weeks after bleaching (n = 8). The specimens in group C were bonded without prior bleaching. Scanning electron microscopic analysis was conducted to evaluate the length of the resin tags at the dentin-resin interface. For SBS testing, the specimens were loaded into a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. The mean resin tag lengths of groups that were bonded immediately (A0 and B0) or after a 1-week delay (A1 and B1) were significantly shorter than that of group C (P < 0.001; Kruskal-Wallis test), but the differences between the 2-week delayed bonding groups (A2 and B2) and group C were not statistically significant. The SBS values of both the 35% HP and 35% CP groups increased significantly with delayed bonding time (P < 0.05; 1-way analysis of variance). When bonding was delayed until 2 weeks after bleaching, the mean SBSs of the bleaching and control groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05; Tukey test).

Optimum pressure for the high-pressure polymerization of urethane dimethacrylate.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study, part of our research to improve properties of resin composite blocks suitable for CAD/CAM and to better understand underlying mechanisms associated with high-temperature/high-pressure (HT/HP) polymerization, was to determine an optimum polymerization pressure of urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) in the presence of an initiator (0.5% benzoyl peroxide) by determining the degree of conversion (DC) and viscoelastic properties of polymers obtained at 90°C under varying HP. METHODS: DC and viscoelastic properties of 16 UDMA polymers, two controls (thermo-cured and thermo-cured followed by post-cure relaxation) and 14 experimental groups (HP polymers, in the range of 50-350 MPa, in 50 MPa increments, without and with post-cure relaxation) were determined via near infrared spectroscopic analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively. RESULTS: The results have shown that HP UDMA polymers have DC superior to that of the control group. With regards to E' and E″, the results have shown no significant difference between control and HP polymers. The damping factor, tanδ, decreased with increasing pressure, while E'rub and Tg increased. Polymerization at 150 MPa or higher resulted in significantly higher E'rub and Tg. SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study suggested that HP polymerization at 90°C of UDMA reduced the number of defects and the free volume, leading to a more homogeneous polymer network. The results have also suggested that 200 MPa is an optimum polymerization pressure, resulting in polymers with significantly higher DC, E'rub, and Tg, while maintaining adequate damping capacity (tanδ).

High-temperature high-pressure polymerized urethane dimethacrylate-mechanical properties and monomer release.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine selected mechanical/physical properties of and monomer release from high-temperature high-pressure (HT/HP) polymerized urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA). METHODS: Flexural strength (σf), hardness, fracture toughness (KIC), and density (ρ) were determined for five UDMA resin blocks produced via different polymerization protocols. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine monomer release from the five polymers. One way ANOVA, Scheffé multiple means comparisons (α=0.05), and Weibull statistics (for σf) were used to analyze the results. RESULTS: The results showed that HT/HP polymerization resulted in a significant (p<0.05) increase in σf and ρ, along with an increase in Weibull modulus. No significant differences were found in hardness and KIC between the two HT/HP polymerized materials. A significantly lower (p<0.05) monomer release was detected for the HT/HP polymerized groups. SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this study suggest that HT/HP polymerization affects the network structure and leads to UDMA polymers with improved mechanical/physical properties and with dramatically reduced monomer release. The low elution of monomers from HT/HP and HP polymerized materials suggests the achievement of a higher degree of conversion and a lesser degree of inhomogeneity with regards to microgel domains. The results, however, cannot fully explain the dramatic increase in mechanical/physical properties reported previously for RCB, improvements that may be due to a better filler-matrix interaction afforded by HT/HP polymerization.