Abstract
Fiber-reinforced composites are used as restorative materials for prosthetic oral rehabilitation. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is an accustomed affection with various oral manifestations. This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of two high-performance CAD/CAM milled reinforced composites (Trinia™, TriLor) in artificial saliva at different pH levels through immersion tests, and to determine if changes in mass or surface morphology at variable pH, specific for patients affected by GERD, appear. After investigating the elemental composition and surface morphology, the specimens were immersed in Carter Brugirard artificial saliva for 21 days at different pH values (5.7, 7.6, and varying the pH from 5.7 to 3). The values of the weighed masses during the immersion tests were statistically processed in terms of mean and standard deviation. Results suggested that irrespective of the medium pH, the two composites presented a similar mass variation in the range of −0.18 (±0.01)–1.82 (±0.02) mg after immersion, suggesting their stability when in contact with artificial saliva, an aspect which was also highlighted by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis performed on the immersed surfaces. Novel composite biomaterials can be a proper alternative for metal alloys used for prosthetic frameworks in patients suffering from GERD.
Highlights
Composites were first used by early Egyptians and Mesopotamian settlers back in 1500 BC [1], they were introduced as dental restorative materials during the late1950s
Synthetic polymeric materials used as dental biomaterials are compounds used for the treatment, regeneration, or replacement of tissues, organs, or functions of the body, due to their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties [3,4]
The results of our study reveal the necessity for the preclinical evaluation of novel metal-free biomaterials to be able to predict their clinical performance
Summary
Composites were first used by early Egyptians and Mesopotamian settlers back in 1500 BC [1], they were introduced as dental restorative materials during the late1950s. Most fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) dental materials contain three distinct constituent parts: (1) the continuous phase (which is named matrix), (2) the dispersed phase (formed by the fibers, generally glass fibers), and (3) the interphase area [6]. The matrix, which is the majority, takes over the external stress forces on its surface and transforms them at the level of the dispersed phase, which often plays the role of reinforcement material, giving greater strength to the composite material [7]. There is an infinite number of possible combinations between different materials, which can be used both as majority phases and as minority phases, in order to obtain a composite material with the desired properties. From a practical point of view, high-performance reinforced composite materials with use in various fields have been obtained, from the aerospace industry to the industry of materials used in medicine and dentistry [8]
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