The Effect of Food Simulating Liquids on the Flexural Strength of Three Composite and One Polyacid Modified Composite Restorative

Abstract

The search for an ideal restorative material to replace tooth tissue and the demand for products with adhesive and caries protective properties together with a simple procedure for application have led to the development of restorative materials that combine conventional Glass Ionomers and light-cure composite resins. It has been demonstrated that composite resins as well as Glass Ionomers are susceptible to various modes of chemical degradation in vitro; as a result of which the mechanical properties of various composites has been tested after long term storage in solutions. As some polyacid modified composites (compomers) are now indicated for stress-bearing areas, such as posterior and Class IV restorations, the knowledge of how their strength properties are affected by food simulating liquids is important for predicting their clinical performance. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of food-simulating liquids on the flexural strength of composite and polyacid-modified composite resins. It was seen that the detrimental effects of aqueous solutions on flexural strength appeared to be greater with polyacid modified composite resins than composite restoratives and the latter had significantly higher flexural strength after conditioning in aqueous solutions.