The Behaviour of Composites, Glass Ionomers and Compomers in Erosive Conditions – In Vitro Study

Objective: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of erosive conditions on the wear resistance of aesthetic direct restorative materials.
Methods: Six dental filling materials were tested: two composites (Filtek Z550 and X-tra fil), two compomers (Dyract Extra and Twinky Star) and two glass ionomers (Ketac Molar and Fuji II LC). Twenty disks (10mm×2mm) of each material were prepared (n=120) and kept in artificial saliva at 37˚C for 24 hours. Specimens were cycled in acidic soft drink (Coca-Cola) 5×/day, for 5’, over 30 days. Initial surface roughness ISR (Ra-μm) and final surface roughness FSR were measured using a profilometer. The wear rate was calculated as difference of final minus the initial roughness (ΔSR=FSR-ISR). For statistical analysis t-test and one-way ANOVA test were used by GraphPad Prism version 5.03 statistical software. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.
Results: The erosive wear rates (mean±SD, µm) after exposure to acidic beverage were: 0.30±0.03 (Ketac Molar), 0.28±0.04 (Fuji II LC), 0.27±0.00 (Filtek Z550), 0.23±0.01 (X-tra fil), 0.20±0.00 (Twinky Star) and 0.14±0.01 Dyract Extra, respectively. There were significant differences between the tested materials (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Dental filling materials had different behaviour under the same erosive condition, however all investigated aesthetic restorative materials showed surface degradation. These findings suggest that erosive wear resistance of tooth coloured restoratives could influence their longevity in intraoral acidic conditions. Acknowledgements: The study was supported by the Internal Research Grant no. 5/30.01.2013 of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tîrgu Mureş.