Mechanical Properties of Calcium Fluoride-Based Composite Materials

Abstract

Aim of the study was to evaluate mechanical properties of light-curing composite materials modified with the addition of calcium fluoride. The study used one experimental light-curing composite material (ECM) and one commercially available flowable light-curing composite material (FA) that were modified with 0.5–5.0 wt% anhydrous calcium fluoride. Morphology of the samples and uniformity of CaF2 distribution were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Mechanical properties were tested after 24-hour storage of specimens in dry or wet conditions. Stored dry ECM enriched with 0.5–1.0 wt% CaF2 showed higher tensile strength values, while water storage of all modified ECM specimens decreased their tensile strength. The highest Vickers hardness tested after dry storage was observed for 2.5 wt% CaF2 content in ECM. The addition of 2.0–5.0 wt% CaF2 to FA caused significant decrease in tensile strength after dry storage and overall tensile strength decrease of modified FA specimens after water storage. The content of 2.0 wt% CaF2 in FA resulted in the highest Vickers hardness tested after wet storage. Commercially available composite material (FA), unmodified with fluoride addition, demonstrated overall significantly higher mechanical properties.

Properties of Experimental Dental Composites Containing Antibacterial Silver-Releasing Filler

“…The antibacterial filler introduction had no statistically significant effect on DTS, although the mean value for the control group was the lowest. Those findings are in opposition to the results obtained by Łukomska-Szymańska et al [ 101 ], Diaz et al [ 102 ], and Sokołowski et al [ 103 ], where nonfunctionalized calcium fluoride microparticles, zinc oxide three-dimensional microstructures, nanosilver, and nanogold decreased the DTS values of modified composites.…”

“…Increasing antibacterial filler concentration caused a small but systematic lowering of microhardness. This is in opposition to some findings for commercially available materials, where higher filler content was correlated with higher microhardness [ 117 ], but is in accordance with some research, where introducing antibacterial additives decreased microhardness [ 44 , 101 , 111 ].…”

An In Vitro Study on the Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oil Modified Resin Composite against Oral Pathogens

“…Furthermore, extracting the most active components from EOs and introducing them into dental products (e.g., restorative materials) composition might be promising line of research. The abundance literature reported that there is great need for development of dental materials with antibacterial properties [ 4 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 55 , 80 ]. The results of previous studies on antibacterial properties of dental materials seemed promising and suggested that introducing antimicrobial agents into the composition of dental materials might improve their antibacterial potential without deteriorating the physico-mechanical performance [ 8 , 12 , 37 ].…”

“…Antibacterial activity of monomers, such as 12-methacryloyloxydodecylpyridinium bromide (MDPB), has been widely investigated [ 5 ]. Among antibacterial agents introduced into the composition of dental resin materials, most commonly described in the literature are nanoparticles, such as silver, gold, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or calcium phosphate, as well as fluoride-containing filler and fluoride compounds [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Essential oils (EOs) could be promising alternative to contribute to the antimicrobial effect of resin composite materials [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…S. mutans plays main role in early demineralization of dental hard tissues, while L. acidophilus is pivotal in caries development. Various attempts has been made to enhance antibacterial properties of dental materials, involving the addition of silver-releasing filler [ 6 , 7 ], calcium fluoride [ 8 , 12 ] or amorphous calcium phosphate [ 9 ] into the composition of dental resin materials or adhesives. Studies reported that incorporation of essential oil into dental composite structure do not significantly compromise the mechanical properties [ 13 , 37 ], while it could improve its antibacterial activity and thus reduce the risk of secondary caries.…”