Biodentine is a calcium-silicate based material that has drawn attention in recent years and has been advocated to be used in various clinical applications, such as root perforations, apexification, resorptions, retrograde fillings, pulp capping procedures, and dentine replacement. There has been considerable research performed on this material since its launching; however, there is scarce number of review articles that collates information and data obtained from these studies. Therefore, this review article was prepared to provide the reader with a general picture regarding the findings about various characteristics of the material. The results of a PubMed search were classified and presented along with some critical comments where necessary. The review initially focuses on various physical properties of the material with subheadings and continues with biocompatibility. Another section includes the review of studies on Biodentine as a vital pulp treatment material and the article is finalized with the summary of some case reports where the material has been used.

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Acid-etch procedures affected the compressive strength and surface microhardness of ProRoot MTA. This indicates that it may be better to postpone restorative procedures for at least 96 h after mixing MTA. Etching created surface changes that might have the potential to enhance bonding of resinous materials.

High-concentration carbamide peroxide containing home bleaching may cause a varying influence on the microhardness of esthetic restorative materials. SUMMARYThis study evaluated the effect of a highconcentration carbamide peroxide-containing home bleaching system (Opalescence PF) and a hydrogen peroxide-containing over-the-counter bleaching system (Treswhite Supreme) on the microhardness of two nanocomposites (Filtek Supreme XT and Premise) and leucitereinforced glass ceramic (Empress Esthetic), glass ceramic (Empress 2 layering), and feldspathic porcelain (Matchmaker MC). A total of 100 specimens, 20 of each kind of the restorative materials, 2 mm in thickness and 10 mm in diameter, were fabricated. Then the specimens were polished with SiC paper and 1 lm alumina polishing paste. After polishing, porcelain specimens were glazed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Each type of restorative material was then randomly divided into two groups (n¼10), and the specimens were treated with either Opalescence PF or Treswhite Supreme. The microhardness of the specimens before bleaching (baseline) and after bleaching was determined using a digital microhardness tester. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and the Wilcoxon test.Opalescence PF significantly influenced the hardness of all the restorative materials. Statistically significant decreases with respect to before bleaching were found for Premise (p¼0.005), Empress Esthetic (p¼0.003), Empress 2 layering (p¼0.005), and Matchmaker-MC (p¼0.003), whereas a statistically significant

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Zirconia restorations have been used successfully for years in dentistry owing to their biocompatibility and good mechanical properties. Because of their lack of translucency, zirconia cores are generally veneered with porcelain, which makes restorations weaker due to failure of the adhesion between the two materials. In recent years, all-ceramic zirconia restorations have been introduced in the dental sector with the intent to solve this problem. Besides the elimination of chipping, the reduced occlusal space requirement seems to be a clear advantage of monolithic zirconia restorations. However, scientific evidence is needed to recommend this relatively new application for clinical use. This mini-review discusses the current scientific literature on monolithic zirconia restorations. The results of in vitro studies suggested that monolithic zirconia may be the best choice for posterior fixed partial dentures in the presence of high occlusal loads and minimal occlusal restoration space. The results should be supported with much more in vitro and particularly in vivo studies to obtain a final conclusion.

The aim of this study was to determine the optimum silane-coupling agent and the optimum concentration of acid agent when bonding to porcelain surfaces. Eighty deglazed feldspathic porcelain discs with a diameter of 10 mm and a thickness of 2 mm mounted in acrylic resin blocks were randomly divided into four groups. In groups 1 and 2, the porcelain surfaces were etched with 9.6 per cent hydrofluoric (HF) acid and in groups 3 and 4 with 5 per cent HF acid. In groups 1 and 3, the Dynalock maxillary central incisor brackets were bonded with Pulpdent silane and Unite bonding adhesive and in groups 2 and 4 with Reliance silane and Unite. Shear forces were applied to the samples using an Instron universal test machine. The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine significant differences in bond strengths between the four groups and Dunn's multiple comparison test to compare subgroups. The mean bond strengths and standard deviations of groups 1 to 4 were 5.51 +/- 1.19, 6.54 +/- 0.002, 4.55 +/- 1.93, and 6.39 +/- 0.45 MPa, respectively. Specimens bonded with Reliance showed a statistically significantly higher in vitro bond strength than those bonded with Pulpdent. The concentration of etching gels did not result in any statistically significant difference on the in vitro bond strength when evaluated separately.

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