Penetration coefficients of commercially available and experimental composites intended to infiltrate enamel carious lesions.
OBJECTIVE
Arresting of enamel lesions by infiltration with light curing composite resins might be a treatment alternative of future micro-invasive dentistry. So far only commercially available adhesives and fissure sealants have been used to infiltrate enamel lesions. Since these products have been optimized for adhesive purposes, the aim of this study was to develop optimized resins for the infiltration of enamel lesions and to measure their physical properties.


METHODS
The penetration coefficients (PCs) of five adhesives and a fissure sealant as well as 66 experimental composite resins were determined. To establish the resins' PCs the viscosities, surface tensions, and contact angles to bovine enamel were measured.


RESULTS
For the commercially available products PCs from 4.0 to 278.9 cm/s were measured. Four of these materials showed a good correlation with penetration depths obtained in a previous study. Experimental composites showed PCs from 0.2 to 474.9 cm/s. The addition of ethanol significantly increased the PCs due to a decrease of viscosity and contact angle. Highest PCs were found for mixtures containing TEGDMA, HEMA and 20% ethanol.


CONCLUSIONS
The knowledge about the PC of resin composites seems to be useful for the development of new materials optimized to infiltrate enamel lesions.
Paris
Sebastian
S
Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University School of Dental Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Assmannshauserstr. 4-6, 14197 Berlin, Germany.
Meyer-Lueckel
Hendrik
H
Cölfen
Helmut
H
Kielbassa
Andrej M
AM
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003188:Composite Resins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy*; D003745:Dental Enamel Permeability; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods*; D006244:Hardness; D008422:Materials Testing; D013500:Surface Tension; D014783:Viscosity; D017155:Wettability
D003188:Composite Resins