Comparative study of zirconomer versus equia fil on surface microhardness and remineralization (An in vitro study).

Abstract

Aim: This research evaluates the effect of different types of glass ionomer restorations on surface microhardness and remineralization of dentin.Materials and methods: Three of glass ionomer restorations (medi fil, equia fil and zirconomer) were used. A total number of 32 sound non-carious human premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons were used in this study. Standardized two class V cavities, one on the buccal and other on lingual surface of each tooth were prepared. The cavity preparation was 3, 2, and 1.5 mm for width, height and depth respectively. The teeth were sectioned mesio-distally to get (64) then divided into three equal main groups (21 teeth each) according to the restorative materials, group (M): medi fil group (E): equia fil group and (Z): zirconomer group. Each group was further subdivided into three equal divisions (7 teeth each) according to the storage times; one day (S1), one month (S2) and three months (S3). The specimens were sectioned longitudinally along the middle of the restorations to produce two blocks . One part was mounted in epoxy resin for microhardness testing, and the other for energy dispersive x -ray analysis (EDX). Specimens were stored in artificial saliva for one day, one month and three months before testing. A microhardness tester was used to measure the Vickers hardness number.Results: It was found that the highest mean value of surface micro hardness and remineralization was recorded for medi fil group, while the lowest mean value was recorded for equia fil group. Pairwise Tukey's post-hoc test showed no-significant between one month and three-month storage. Conclusion:It can be concluded that all glass ionomer restorations show remineralization to tooth structures also zirconomer overpowered by conventional glass ionomer because its high fluoride release finally equia-fil show increase remineralization with time.