Evaluation of Water Sorption and Solubility of Different Dental Cements at Different Time Interval

Abstract

Background: The clinical durability of dental cements is determined by dimensional stability. Water sorption and solubility of dental cements in distilled water have not been tested sufficiently. Aims: To evaluate and compare the water sorption and solubility of four different dental cements for permanent cementation at different time interval. Materials and Methods: Four different dental cements were selected: 1. Resin modified glass ionomer cement (Rely X luting2), 2. Poly acid modified composite resin cement (PermaCem Compomer), 3. Self-etching, self-adhesive dual cure composite resin cement (BeautiCem SA) and 4. Self-adhesive, dual cure composite resin cement (PermaCem 2.0). 120 discs were prepared, 30 discs for each group using Teflon molds (15±0.1mm in diameter and 1±0.1 mm in thickness). The discs were dried in a desiccator at 37co and weighted daily until a stable weight (M1) was achieved using an electronic digital balance with accuracy of 0.0001g. The discs were immersed in distilled water for different time intervals (1, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days) and the weight (M2) was recorded. The discs were replaced in a desiccator and weighed daily until stable weight (M3) was achieved. Water sorption and solubility in µg/mm³ were calculated using the following equations: Wsp=(M2-M3)/V; Wsl=(M1-M3)/V. Data analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s Post hoc test. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the different dental cements and time intervals for both water sorption and solubility. RelyX luting2 exhibited the highest water sorption and solubility values at different time interval, whereas Permacem 2.0 showed the lowest values (P≤0.05). Conclusion: Four types of dental cements of different compositions showed different behavior on water sorption and solubility. Resin cements are recommended for the permanent cementation of indirect restorations. Dental cements exhibited a time dependent increase in both water solubility and sorption.