Mechanical viscoelastic behavior of dental adhesives

Influence of Application Modes on Increasing Bond Strength Longevity of Self-etching and Universal Adhesive Systems to Enamel

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of application mode on the short-term microshear bond strength longevity of self-etching and universal adhesive systems to enamel, the failure mode, and the resulting enamel surface micromorphology. Ninety enamel surfaces were obtained from sound third molars, planed, and randomly assigned to nine groups, according to the application mode and the adhesive system (n=10). There were three primer application modes: according to the manufacturer's recommended application time (control), using double the application time recommended for the primer and selective enamel etching. The adhesive systems used were: Clearfil SE Bond (Kuraray), FL-Bond II (SHOFU), and Futurabond U (Voco). At least two resin-bonded composite cylinders (Grandioso Light Flow, Voco) were placed on each enamel surface, and then evaluated for microshear bond strength at 24 hours and 180 days of storage in solution body fluid (SBF) at pH 7.4. Failure modes were evaluated with a stereoscopic microscope at 20× magnification. A micromorphological analysis of the enamel surface was performed under a scanning electron microscope at 5000× magnification before and after the treatments. Mixed models for repeated measures over time showed significant interaction among application modes, adhesive systems, and time periods (p=0.0331). The bond strength of FL-Bond II adhesive to enamel observed after performing selective enamel etching was significantly higher than that observed after applying the control treatment (p=0.0010) at both 24 hours and 180 days. However, no significant difference was observed between the application of this same adhesive at double the time recommended by the manufacturer and the other two application modes (p>0.05). There was also no significant difference in the microshear bond strength for the enamel treatments applied using Clearfil SE Bond and Futurabond U (p>0.05). A significant reduction in bond strength to enamel was observed at the 180-day storage time for all the adhesive systems when selective enamel etching was performed (p<0.0001). No significant association was observed between the adhesive system failure mode and the enamel treatments (p=0.1402 and p=0.7590 for 24 hours and 180 days, respectively). The most prevalent failure was the adhesive type.

Finite Element Analysis of Restored Principal Abutment in Free-End Saddle Partial Denture

PURPOSE

This study analyzed the stress distribution of restored principal abutments in free-end saddle partial dentures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The mandibular second premolar was modeled with class II cavity restored with composite resins (Tetric N Ceram and Charisma Smile). Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to examine the stresses under 200-N static load vertically and horizontally and the results were graphically illustrated in the form of von Mises stresses.

RESULTS

The von Mises stress distribution patterns of two different composite resins (Tetric N Ceram and Charisma Smile) were very similar in all modes of loading.

CONCLUSION

Composite resins with a similar modulus of elasticity in class II cavities with occlusal rest seat preparation had similar stress distributions.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Nanohybrid composite resin restorations may be a possible method for preparing abutments for receiving elements of the removable partial denture (RPD).

Bioinspired multifunctional adhesive system for next generation bio-additively designed dental restorations

Resin-based composite has overtaken dental amalgam as the most popular material for the repair of lost or damaged tooth structure. In spite of the popularity, the average composite lifetime is about half that of amalgam restorations. The leading cause of composite-restoration failure is decay at the margin where the adhesive is applied. The adhesive is intended to seal the composite/tooth interface, but the adhesive seal to dentin is fragile and readily degraded by acids, enzymes and other oral fluids. The inherent weakness of this material system is attributable to several factors including the lack of antimicrobial properties, remineralization capabilities and durable mechanical performance - elements that are central to the integrity of the adhesive/dentin (a/d) interfacial seal. Our approach to this problem offers a transition from a hybrid to a biohybrid structure. Discrete peptides are tethered to polymers to provide multi-bio-functional adhesive formulations that simultaneously achieve antimicrobial and remineralization properties. The bio-additive materials design combines several functional properties with the goal of providing an adhesive that will serve as a durable barrier to recurrent decay at the composite/tooth interface. This article provides an overview of our multi-faceted approach which uses peptides tethered to polymers and new polymer chemistries to achieve the next generation adhesive system - an adhesive that provides antimicrobial properties, repair of defective dentin and enhanced mechanical performance.

Antimicrobial Peptide-Polymer Conjugates for Dentistry

Bacterial adhesion and growth at the composite/adhesive/tooth interface remain the primary cause of dental composite restoration failure. Early colonizers, including Streptococcus mutans, play a critical role in the formation of dental caries by creating an environment that reduces the adhesive's integrity. Subsequently, other bacterial species, biofilm formation, and lactic acid from S. mutans demineralize the adjoining tooth. Because of their broad spectrum of antibacterial activity and low risk for antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have received significant attention to prevent bacterial biofilms. Harnessing the potential of AMPs is still very limited in dentistry-a few studies have explored peptide-enabled antimicrobial adhesive copolymer systems using mainly nonspecific adsorption. In the current investigation, to avoid limitations from nonspecific adsorption and to prevent potential peptide leakage out of the resin, we conjugated an AMP with a commonly used monomer for dental adhesive formulation. To tailor the flexibility between the peptide and the resin material, we designed two different spacer domains. The spacer-integrated antimicrobial peptides were conjugated to methacrylate (MA), and the resulting MA-AMP monomers were next copolymerized into dental adhesives as AMP-polymer conjugates. The resulting bioactivity of the polymethacrylate-based AMP conjugated matrix activity was investigated. The antimicrobial peptide conjugated to the resin matrix demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against S. mutans. Secondary structure analyses of conjugated peptides were applied to understand the activity differential. When mechanical properties of the adhesive system were investigated with respect to AMP and cross-linking concentration, resulting AMP-polymer conjugates maintained higher compressive moduli compared to hydrogel analogues including polyHEMA. Overall, our result provides a robust approach to develop a fine-tuned bioenabled peptide adhesive system with improved mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity. The results of this study represent a critical step toward the development of peptide-conjugated dentin adhesives for treatment of secondary caries and the enhanced durability of dental composite restorations.

Clinical Evaluation of Silorane and Nano-hybrid Resin Composite Restorations in Class II Cavities up to 3 Years

In this study, the clinical performance of a silorane-based resin composite (SC) vs a nano-hybrid resin composite (NHC) was evaluated in Class II cavities. From January 2012 to February 2013, a total of 29 patients (eight men, 21 women; mean age, 24 ± 5 years) received 29 pairs of restorations using both SC (Filtek Silorane, 3M ESPE) and NHC (Filtek Z550, 3M ESPE) materials. Patients were followed until February 2015. One operator performed all restorations using the corresponding adhesive resins according to the manufacturers' instructions. Two calibrated independent examiners evaluated the restorations at one week, six months, and then annually using the modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria for anatomic form, marginal adaptation, color match, surface roughness, marginal discoloration, secondary caries, and postoperative sensitivity. Changes in the USPHS parameters were analyzed with the McNemar test (α=0.05). The mean observation period was 31.2 months. Marginal adaptation was the only parameter that showed a significant difference and was worse for SC than NHC (p=0.012). At the final recall, 17 restorations from the SC group and five from the NHC group received a score of 1 (explorer catches). These scores were significantly different between baseline and final recall for SC (p&lt;0.001) but not for NHC (p&gt;0.05). Both NHC and SC performed similarly in Class II restorations up to three years except for marginal adaptation, for which the latter demonstrated significant deterioration at the final recall compared with baseline.

Viscoelastic properties of orthodontic adhesives used for lingual fixed retainer bonding

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the viscoelastic properties of two experimental BPA-free and one BisGMA-based orthodontic resin composite adhesives for bonding fixed retainers.

METHODS

A commercially available BisGMA-based (TXA: Transbond LR) and two bisphenol A-free experimental adhesives (EXA and EXB) were included in the study. The viscoelastic behavior of the adhesives was evaluated under static and dynamic conditions at dry and wet states and at various temperatures (21, 37, 50°C). The parameters determined were shear modulus (G), Young's modulus (E) under static testing and storage modulus (G₁), loss tangent (tanδ) and dynamic viscosity (n*) under dynamic testing. Statistical analysis was performed by 2-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests (α=0.05).

RESULTS

For static testing, a significant difference was found within material and storage condition variables and a significant interaction between the two independent variables (p<0.001 for G and E). EXA demonstrated the highest G and E values at 21°C/dry group. Dry specimens showed the highest G and E values, but with no significant difference from 21°C/wet specimens, except EXA in G. Wet storage at higher temperatures (37°C and 50°C) adversely affected all the materials to a degree ranging from 40 to 60% (p<0.001). For dynamic testing, a significant difference was also found in material and testing condition groups, with a significant interaction between the two independent variables (p<0.001 for G₁ and n*, p<0.01 for tanδ). Reduction in G₁, and n* values, and increase in tanδ values were encountered at increased water temperatures.

SIGNIFICANCE

The apparent detrimental effect of high temperature on the reduction of properties of adhesives may contribute to the loss of stiffness of the fixed retainer configuration under ordinary clinical conditions with unfavorable effects on tooth position and stability of the orthodontic treatment result.

Self-Strengthening Hybrid Dental Adhesive via Visible-light Irradiation Triple Polymerization

A self-strengthening methacrylate-based dental adhesive system was developed by introducing an epoxy cyclohexyl trimethoxysilane (TS) which contains both epoxy and methoxysilyl functional groups. The experimental formulation, HEMA/BisGMA/TS (22.5/27.5/50, wt%), was polymerized by visible-light. Real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to investigate in situ the free radical polymerization of methacrylate, ring-opening cationic polymerization of epoxy, and photoacid-induced sol-gel reactions. Among the three simultaneous reactions, the reaction rate of the free radical polymerization was the highest and the hydrolysis/condensation rate was the lowest. With 40s-irradiation, the degrees of conversion of the double bond and epoxy groups at 600 s were 73.2±1.2%, 87.9±2.4%, respectively. Hydrolysis of the methoxysilyl group was initially <5%, and increased gradually to about 50% after 48 h dark storage. Photoacids generated through the visible-light-induced reaction were effective in catalyzing both epoxy ring-opening polymerization and methoxysilyl sol-gel reaction. The mechanical properties of copolymers made with TS concentrations from 5 to 35 wt% were obtained using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). In wet conditions, the storage moduli at 70 °C and glass transition temperature were significantly higher than that of the control (p<0.05); these properties increased with TS concentration and storage time. The post reaction of hydrolysis/condensation of alkoxysilane could provide persistent strengthening whether in a neutral or acidic environment and these characteristics could lead to enhanced mechanical properties in the oral environment. The cumulative amount of leached species decreased significantly in the TS-containing copolymers. These results provide valuable information for the development of dental adhesives with reduced leaching of methacrylate monomers and enhanced mechanical properties under the wet, oral environment.

Important compositional characteristics in the clinical use of adhesive systems

Improvements in dentin bonding systems have influenced modern restorative dentistry. The desire for minimal invasiveness has resulted in more-conservative cavity design, which basically relies on the effectiveness of current dentin bonding systems. Interaction of adhesives with enamel and dentin is based on two systems, commonly described as etch-and-rinse and self-etch. Priming and bonding agents can be separate or combined, resulting in two- or three-step systems for etch-and-rinse adhesives and one- or two-step systems for self-etch adhesives. Self-etch systems use acidic functional monomers that simultaneously demineralize and impregnate tooth structures. Etch-and-rinse and self-etch systems have advantages and disadvantages, which are primarily related to the simplified bonding procedures required under clinical conditions. Knowledge of the composition, characteristics, and mechanisms of adhesion for each adhesive system is critical in selecting the ideal adhesive materials for clinical use.

Bonding of Adhesive Luting Agents to Caries-affected Dentin Induced by a Microcosm Biofilm Model

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the bond strength of adhesive luting agents applied to caries-affected dentin (CAD).

METHODS

Thirty-six noncarious human third molars were abraded to expose an occlusal dentin surface. Caries lesions were induced in half of the samples using a microcosm biofilm model. Biofilm was cultivated under an anaerobic atmosphere for 14 days in a medium enriched with mucin. The same medium containing 1% sucrose was alternated for 4 hours per day. Cylinders of resin cement (RelyX ARC, RelyX U200, or BisCem) were built up over the dentin substrate and submitted to shear bond load. The samples were then longitudinally sectioned. The hardness and elastic modulus of dentin were measured at different depths from the occlusal surface. A three-dimensional finite element simulation was performed to analyze the residual stress distribution during the shear bond strength test. Bond strength data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and hardness and elastic modulus by split-plot ANOVA. Multiple comparisons were performed with the SNK test (α=0.05).

RESULTS

For all cements, the highest bond strengths were observed in sound dentin. Relyx ARC bond strength was similar to that of RelyX U200 for both substrates; BisCem had the lowest values. CAD had lower hardness (above a depth of 100 μm) and elastic modulus (above a depth of 150 μm) values than sound dentin. Stress distribution during the bond strength test was similar under all experimental conditions.

CONCLUSION

Impairment of the mechanical properties of dentin promoted by carious lesions reduced the bond strength of adhesive luting agents.