This study evaluated the effect of the structural color phenomenon in resin composites (RCs) on the color adjustment of restorations by investgating their color reproduction performance in human ...incisors of various shade. Cervical cavities were filled with a single-shade RC with 260 nm spherical fillers (Omnichroma (OMN)), conventional A2-shade RCs (Estelite Σ Quick or Clearfil AP-X), or experimental RCs with 5–50 nm fumed silica fillers (R1) and 100 nm spherical fillers (R2). Color parameters (L*C*h*) were measured using a CIE XYZ camera along the centerline of the restorations, and the color difference (∆E00) between corresponding areas of intact and restored teeth was calculated. Additionally, the reflectance spectra of OMN, R1, and R2 were investigated. OMN exhibited significantly lower ∆E00 than other tested RCs (p<0.05) and its reflection spectrum ranged from blue to red, while a blue peak was observed with R1 and R2, indicating a higher color adjustment potential of OMN.
The effect of curing mode of dual-cure resin cements on the tensile bond strength (TBS) of universal adhesives to enamel, dentin, zirconia, lithium disilicate ceramics (LDS), feldspathic porcelain ...(FP), and a Pd-Au alloy was evaluated. The substrates were bonded using Tokuyama Universal Bond (TUB) or Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SBU), followed by luting with Estecem II (ECII) or Rely-X Ultimate (RXU), respectively, which were used either in light-curing or self-curing mode. The TBS test was performed after 24 h or 5,000 thermal cycles. Light-curing significantly improved the 24-h TBS of TUB/ECII to enamel, dentin and FP, as well as the TBS of SBU/RXU to all substrates except LDS. After thermal cycling, light-curing significantly increased the TBS of both adhesives/cements to dentin, but significant differences between curing modes were seldom observed for other substrates. This suggested that light-curing is essential for the hydrophilic dentin, but self-curing might be sufficient for other substrates.
The effect of 1-week water storage and subsequent 10,000 thermal cycles on light transmission properties (straight-line transmission (G0), diffusion (DF), the amount of transmitted light (AV)), ...translucency parameter (TP) and refractive index (RI) of four nanofilled flowable composites was examined. The composites included Filtek Supreme Ultra Flowable Restorative (FSU), Estelite Flow Quick (EFQ), Estelite Universal Flow, (EUF), and Clearfil Majesty ES Flow (ESF), all of A3 shade. For composites with lower filler load (FSU, EFQ), water storage increased G0, AV and TP, but subsequent thermocycling decreased them. An opposite tendency was found for DF. Materials with higher filler load (EUF, ESF) were not significantly affected by aging conditions. RI of EFQ and EUF containing bisphenol A polyethoxy methacrylate (Bis-MPEPP) increased significantly after thermocycling. Additionally, morphological changes were observed using scanning electron microscopy which revealed cracks within nanocluster fillers and dislocation of particles in FSU and EFQ after thermocycling.
The effect of long-term water storage on the regional ultimate tensile strength (UTS), water sorption (Wsp) and water solubility (Wsl) of conventional and bulk-fill resin composites at various depths ...was investigated. Composite specimens light-cured from one side were sectioned into beams corresponding to different depths (1–5 mm) and stored in water for 24 h, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months or 1 year. UTS increased during the first week and then gradually decreased over time, especially in deeper regions. Bulk-fill composites initially exhibited similar UTS at all depths, whereas the UTS of conventional composites at 1 mm and 5 mm differed significantly at all time points. Wsp and Wsl increased with depth and storage time, markedly at 3–5 mm after 1 month for conventional composites and after 6 months for bulk-fill composites. The signs of degradation at depths beyond 3 mm suggested that even bulk-fill composites have suboptimal properties in layers more than 3 mm in thickness.
Zirconia ceramics have been widely used as dental restorations due to their esthetic appearance and high flexural strength. The bonding of zirconia with resin cement should rely on both mechanical ...and chemical bonds. This study was performed to investigate the effect of zirconia surface topography and its wettability after surface pretreatments on the microshear bond strength (μSBS) of a resin cement. Zirconia slabs were prepared and randomly divided into 5 groups based on the surface treatment as follows: no treatment (control), air abrasion (AB), etching with hydrofluoric acid (F), the mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid (FN), or the mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid (CN) for 10 min. The specimens were subjected to investigation of surface roughness characteristics average roughness (Ra), peak-to-valley average distance (Rpv), skewness (Rsk), and kurtosis (Rku) using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and measurements of surface contact angle (θc) and μSBS of a resin cement. In addition, the area % of the nanoscale surface irregularity (nSI%) was calculated from the AFM images. The effects of nSI%, Ra and θc on the μSBS were analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the nSI% was the most predominant factor for the μSBS (p < 0.001). A surface with larger nSI%, higher Ra and relatively lower θc was essential for establishing a reliable resin-zirconia bond.
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of silane coupling agent contamination on the microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of 3-step etch-and-rinse adhesives on dentin. Flat occlusal dentin surfaces ...were prepared and randomly divided into 8 groups (n=20) based on the tested adhesives; Scotchbond Multi-purpose or Optibond FL, with contamination of an experimental silane (2 vol% of 3-m ethacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane at pH 4.5) before acid-etching, after-etching or after-priming; while the groups without silane contamination served as controls. µTBS data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD tests at a significance level of 0.05. Additional specimens of contaminated dentin were used to analyze changes in the organic molecules by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Silane contamination before acid-etching did not significantly change µTBS (p>0.05), but contamination after-etching and after-priming significantly decreased µTBS of both adhesives (p<0.05). Silane contamination had an adverse effect on the dentin bond strength of 3-step etch-and-rinse adhesives especially after-priming.
The color-matching ability of single-shade composites Omnichroma (OMN) and Omnichroma Flow (OCF) is ensured by structural color, which arises from monodisperse 260 nm spherical fillers. This study ...evaluated how filler load influences the color adjustment potential of composite restorations to human teeth of various shades. The performance of composites containing the 260 nm spherical fillers —OMN (79 wt%), OCF (71 wt%), and experimental composites R1 (65 wt%), and R2 (60 wt%)— was compared to two conventional A2-shade composites and a transparent composite. Additionally, the translucency parameter, spectral reflectance, and light transmission properties were assessed. Composites with a lower load of the 260 nm spherical fillers exhibited lower light diffusion and lower reflectance in the yellow-to-red range (580–650 nm), which is characteristic for the structural color of OMN and OCF. The best color adjustment was achieved with OCF, presumably due to its high translucency and uniform spectral reflectance.
The effect of different air-blowing strategies using a prototype of a newly developed clinically applicable warm air-blowing device on the microtensile bond strength (μTBS) of one-step self-etch ...adhesives (1-SEAs) to human root-canal dentin was evaluated. Post cavities (8 mm depth, 1.5 mm diameter) were prepared and bonded with four 1-SEAs. Air-blowing was performed using normal air (23±1°C) for 10 or 20 s; warm air (60±1°C) for 10 or 20 s; or their combination for 10 s (5 s normal, 5 s warm) or 20 s (10 s normal, 10 s warm). After filling with corresponding core materials and 24-h water storage, μTBS test was performed. For three of the 1-SEAs, combined air-blowing for 20 s significantly increased μTBS compared to other air-blowing strategies (p<0.05). This suggests that the combination of normal and warm air-blowing for 20 s can enhance solvent evaporation from 1-SEAs, thus resulting in their improved bonding performance to root-canal dentin.