Purpose: The mechanical strength of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) remains far from ideal for maintaining the longevity of denture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanofillers powder with different concentration (1.5%, 3%, 5% and 7%) on the flexural strength, fracture toughness, and hardness of heat-polymerized acrylic resin. Materials and methods: Zirconium oxide powders with different concentrations (1.5%, 3%, 5% and 7%) were incorporated into heat-cure acrylic resin (PMMA) and processed with optimal condition (2.5:1 Powder/monomer ratio, conventional packing method and water bath curing for 2 hours at 95˚C) to fabricate test specimens of PMMA of dimensions (50 × 30 × 30 mm) for the flexural strength, fracture toughness, and (50 × 30 × 30 mm) were fabricated for measuring hardness. PMMA without additives was prepared as a test control. Three types of mechanical tests; flexural strength, fracture toughness and hardness were carried out on the samples. The recorded values of flexural strength in (MPa), fracture toughness in (MPa.m 1/2 ), and hardness (VHN) were collected, tabulated and statistically analyzed. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's tests were used for testing the significance between the means of tested groups which are statistically significant when the P value ≤ 0.05. Results: Addition of Zirconium oxide nanofillers to PMMA significantly increased the flexural strength, fracture toughness and hardness. Conclusion: These results indicate that Zirconium oxide nanofillers added to PMMA has a potential as a reliable denture base material with increased flexural strength, fracture toughness, and hardness. According to the results of the present study, the best mechanical properties were achieved by adding 7%wt ZrO2 concentration. M. A. Ahmed, M. I. Ebrahim 51

BackgroundThe purpose of this in-vitro study was to examine the effect of incorporating different concentrations of Zirconium oxide-Titanium dioxide (ZrO2-TiO2) nanoparticles, which can have antibacterial properties, on the mechanical properties of an orthodontic adhesive.MethodsZrO2-TiO2 (Zirconium oxide, HWNANO, Hongwu International Group Ltd, China) -Titanium dioxide, Nanoshell, USA) nanopowder were incorporated into orthodontic adhesive (Transbond XT, 3 M Unitek, Monrovia, USA) with different concentrations (0.5% weight nonofiller and 1% weight nanofiller). The size of nanoparticle was 70–80 nm for ZrO2 and less than 50 nm for TiO2. For measuring the shear bond strength of the three groups of orthodontic adhesives [Transbond (control), Transbond mixed with 0.5% weight ZrO2-TiO2, and Transbond mixed with 1% weight ZrO2-TiO2], 30 freshly extracted human first premolars were used and bonded with stainless steel metal brackets (Dentaurum®, Discovery®, Deutschland), using the 3 orthodontic adhesives and 3 M Unitek; Transbond TM Plus Self-Etching Primer (10 samples in each group). The recorded values of compressive strength and tensile strength (measured separately on 10 samples of orthodontic adhesives (add the 3 D size of sample, light cured for 40 s on both sides) of each orthodontic adhesives), as well as the shear bond strength in Mega Pascal unit (MPa) were collected and exposed to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post-hoc tests.Resultsorthodontic adhesive with 1% weight ZrO2-TiO2 showed the highest mean compressive (73.42 ± 1.55 MPa, p: 0.003, F: 12.74), tensile strength (8.65 ± 0.74 MPa, p: 0.001, F: 68.20), and shear bond strength (20.05 ± 0.2 MPa, p: 0.001, F: 0.17).ConclusionsAdding ZrO2-TiO2 nanoparticle to orthodontic adhesive increased compressive strength, tensile strength, and shear bond strength in vitro, but in vivo studies and randomized clinical trials are needed to validate the present findings.

Objective:This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of incorporation of silica particles with different concentrations on some properties of resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC): Microleakage, compressive strength, tensile strength, water sorption, and solubility.Materials and Methods:Silica particle was incorporated into RMGIC powder to study its effects, one type of RMGIC (Type II visible light-cured) and three concentrations of silica particles (0.06, 0.08, and 0.1% weight) were used. One hundred and twenty specimens were fabricated for measuring microleakage, compressive strength, tensile strength, water sorption, and solubility.Statistical Analysis:One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's tests were used for measuring significance between means where P ≤ 0.05.Results:RMGIC specimens without any additives showed significantly highest microleakage and lowest compressive and tensile strengths.Conclusion:Silica particles added to RMGIC have the potential as a reliable restorative material with increased compressive strength, tensile strength, and water sorption but decreased microleakage and water solubility.

OBJECTIVES:The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of nanosized aluminum trioxide (Al2O3) particles when added to the Nano-Bond adhesive system and its effect on the microshear bond strength of nanocomposite resin to dentin.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A newly developed adhesive (Nano-Bond) and one type of light-cured resin restorative material (nanocomposite resin) were used in this study. The occlusal surfaces of extracted human molar teeth were ground perpendicular to the long axis of each tooth to expose a flat dentin surface. The adhesives were applied to the dentin surfaces according to manufacturers’ instructions. The nanocomposite resin was then placed and light cured for 40 s. After immersion in water at 37°C for 24 h, the specimens were subjected to thermocycling before testing, and a microshear bond test was carried out. The recorded bond strengths (MPa) were collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed. A one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's tests were used to test for significance between the means of the groups; statistical significance was assumed when the P ≤ 0.05.RESULTS:The mean microshear bond strength of the Nano-Bond adhesive system containing nanosized Al2O3 at a concentration of 2% was 23.15 MPa (Group B), which was significantly greater than that of the Nano-Bond adhesive system without additives (15.03 MPa, Group A).CONCLUSIONS:These results indicate that nanosized Al2O3 added to the Nano-Bond adhesive system at a concentration of 2% increases the microshear bond strength.