Explore the vast range of titles available.

Currently, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is the most popular denture base material. Most fractures of dentures that occur during function are due to its insufficient mechanical strength. The major drawbacks of PMMA are insufficient ductility, strength, and viscoelastic behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a polymethylmethacrylate denture base material modified with TiO2 nanoparticles in terms of nanomechanical, creep-recovery, and relaxation. Additionally, the effects of addition TiO2 nanoparticles on the thermal and antimicrobial adhesion behaviors were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the effect of small amounts of TiO2 nanoparticles (1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, and 3 wt. %) on the degradation behavior of PMMA denture bases was insignificant. The nanomechanical test results of the PMMA and PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposites indicated that the hardness and modulus in the nanoscale range improved due to TiO2 addition. At a 1200-nm penetration depth, the modulus increased by 10%, 16%, and 29% and hardness increased by 18%, 24%, and 35% with the addition of 1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, and 3 wt. % TiO2, respectively. Furthermore, the creep-recovery and relaxation behaviors of PMMA were significantly improved due to the addition of TiO2. The creep strain decreased from 1.41% to 1.06%, 0.66%, and 0.49% with the addition of 1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, and 3 wt. % TiO2, respectively. The relaxation test results showed that the initial stress under 1% strain improved to 19.9, 21.2, and 22 MPa with the addition of 1 wt. %, 2 wt. %, and 3 wt. % TiO2, respectively. The improvement in the nanohardness, modulus, creep recovery, and relaxation behavior of PMMA due to the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles indicated the role of the nanoparticles in increasing the PMMA matrix stiffness by reducing its mobility and free volume. TiO2 nanoparticles also improved the antimicrobial behavior of PMMA by significantly reducing bacterial adherence with increasing TiO2 ratio.

The aim is to assess the influence of fabrication techniques—conventional (CN), CAD-CAM (CC), and 3D printing (3D)—on the marginal fit, adaptation, surface roughness, and wear of interim restorations of crowns. Thirty interim crowns were fabricated using CN, CC, and 3D techniques. Sixty discs were fabricated to evaluate surface wear and surface roughness properties, with 10 disc samples in each group (n = 10). Internal adaptation and marginal integrity of interim crowns were analyzed with micro CT to detect microgaps at selected points. Average surface micro-roughness (Ra) was calculated in micrometers (μm) using an optical non-contact surface microscope under cyclic loading. Surface wear was evaluated by surface area measurements (mm3) using a micro CT. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc comparison tests with Pearson correlation were performed for data analysis. The highest adaptation means were for CN (269.94 ± 64 μm), and the lowest mean value was observed for 3D (197.82 ± 11.72 μm) crowns. CN and CC specimens showed comparable adaptation (p > 0.05), which were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than 3D crowns. CN crowns showed significantly higher marginal misfit compared to 3D (p < 0.05) and CC (p < 0.05) crowns. The highest mean surface roughness was observed in the 3D crowns (5.61 ± 0.33 µm), whereas the lowest was found in CC crowns (3.28 ± 0.34 µm). Better restoration Ra was observed using the CC method followed by CN. CN had the highest wear (17.79 ± 2.78 mm3), and the lowest wear was observed in the 3D (10.81 ± 2.00 mm3) specimen. Low surface wear was observed using 3D printing, followed by CN and CC techniques. The printed specimen showed comparable outcomes to CAD-CAM restoration; however, they were better than CN restoration. A positive correlation between adaptation and surface roughness was observed, indicating an effect of the fabrication technique on material physical property.

Objective This study examined how system-matching gutta-percha (GP) cones in conjunction with calcium silicate-based sealers (CSBS) affect the sealing quality of canals prepared with variable taper nickel titanium (NiTi) files, using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Materials and methods Forty-eight extracted human mandibular premolars were instrumented using the ProTaper Ultimate and divided into four groups based on GP cone (system-matching vs. non-matching) and sealer type (PlanB vs. TotalFill). Obturation was performed using the single-cone technique. Sealers were mixed with Fluo-3 dye for CLSM visualization. Micro-CT was used to quantify voids and gaps, while CLSM evaluated sealer penetration area and depth at the coronal, middle, and apical thirds. Results There were no significant differences in overall voids and gaps percentages between the cone systems ( p  = 0.66). System-matching cones however, significantly enhanced sealer penetration into dentinal tubules in terms of area, average, and maximum depth, especially in the apical third ( p  ≤ 0.001). PlanB demonstrated greater penetration area than TotalFill ( p  = 0.039). Conclusion The use of system-matching versus non-matching gutta-percha cones does not significantly affect the overall occurrence of voids and gaps in root canal fillings. However, system-matching cones improve sealer penetration into dentinal tubules, which differs among calcium silicate–based sealers. This emphasizes the importance of both cone fit and sealer selection in optimizing the quality of the single-cone obturation technique. Clinical relevance In canals prepared with variable taper NiTi files, both the compatibility of gutta-percha cones and the properties of calcium silicate–based sealers play a key role in enhancing the quality of the single-cone obturation technique.

Graphene and graphene oxide based nanomaterials have attained immense significance in research because of their matchless physiochemical characteristics. Although potential biomedical applications of graphene have been extensively studied, however, dentistry related applications were rarely explored. This study aimed to investigate the effect of various percentages of surface modified reduce graphene oxide (S-rGO) in combination with SiO2 nanoparticles (bulk filler) on numerous physio-mechanical characteristics of acrylate-based (BisGMA/TEGDMA: 1:1 by wt.) composites. BisGMA/TEGDMA reinforced with 30 wt.% surface modified fumed-silica (S-A200) was considered as control group (base composite). Various concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 wt.%) of S-rGO were incorporated into the base composite via solution casting and high-speed mixing. The obtained composites were characterized for rheological properties before curing by using Rheometer (Anton Paar, USA) in the oscillatory mode under a frequency sweep over a range of angular frequency of 0.1–100 rad/s at 25 °C. The degree of conversion (DC) was measured by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A Nano-indentation test was carried out to obtain nano-hardness and elastic modulus. The surface roughness was measured by optical microscope (Bruker®), 3D non-contact surface profilometer. The structural and morphological properties were studied by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The mean and standard deviation were calculated and a simple mean comparisons test was performed for comparison using SPSS. The results revealed that the addition of a tiny proportion of S-rGO considerably increased the nano-indentation hardness, elastic modulus and DC. Conversely, a gradual reduction in viscosity was observed with increasing S-rGO concentration. The study demonstrates that a small fraction of S-rGO in combination with SiO2 could enhance physical, mechanical and rheological properties of acrylate based composites. Thus S-rGO/SiO2 combination could be used as a potential hybrid filler for dental nanocomposites.

Contamination of zirconia restorations before cementation can impair the resin–zirconia bonding durability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of human saliva or blood decontamination with 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP)-containing cleaner on the resin–zirconia shear bond strength (SBS). Methods: A total of 220 zirconia specimens were prepared and air-abraded and randomly distributed into 11 groups (n = 20 per group). Except for the control group (no contamination), zirconia specimens were contaminated with either human saliva (five groups) or blood (five groups), and then subjected to one of five cleaning methods: water rinsing, 38% phosphoric acid etchant (Pulpdent Corp., Watertown, MA, USA), 70% isopropanol alcohol (Avalon Pharma, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), Ivoclean (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Lichtenstein) and Katana Cleaner (Kuraray Noritake, Tokyo, Japan). The resin–zirconia SBS was tested at 24 h and after thermocycling (10 k cycles). Three-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons test were utilized to analyze the SBS data. Failure modes were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope. Results: Both blood and saliva significantly affected resin–zirconia SBS as contaminants. After thermocycling, there was no statistically significant difference between SBS obtained after decontamination with the Katana Cleaner (blood, 6.026 ± 2.805 MPa; saliva, 5.206 ± 2.212 MPa) or Ivoclean (blood, 7.08 ± 3.309 MPa; saliva, 6.297 ± 3.083 MPa), and the control group (no contamination, 7.479 ± 3.64 MPa). Adhesive and mixed failures were the most frequent among the tested groups. Conclusion: Both 10-MDP-containing cleaner (Katana Cleaner) and zirconium oxide-containing cleaner (Ivoclean) could eliminate the negative effect of saliva and blood contamination on resin–zirconia SBS.

Objective: The objective of this review was to evaluate the effect of non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) on adhesives resin–dentin micro-tensile bond strength (μTBS) in previously published studies. Methods: Electronic search was conducted using the Medline, Cochrane library, and Scopus databases. The included studies were laboratory studies that investigated the effect of NTAP on adhesives μTBS to coronal dentin. Studies that evaluated the effect of NTAP on bond strength to indirect substrates, enamel or root dentin, were excluded. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed. Results: Thirteen studies were included in this systematic review. All the included studies were considered to have a medium risk of bias. NTAP significantly improved μTBS at 24 h or after short-term aging in five studies (38.5%) and both immediate and after long-term aging in 5 studies (38.5%). In two studies (15.4%), NTAP resulted in a short-term material-dependent effect that was not stable after long-term aging. Interestingly, in one study (7.7%), NTAP had a positive effect only in the etch-and-rinse (ER) mode after long-term aging. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this systematic review, NTAP application could enhance resin–dentin μTBS of ER adhesives or universal adhesives (UAs) applied in the ER mode. In the ER mode, the rewetting step after NTAP seems to be unnecessary. Because of the limited information currently available in the literature, further studies are required to evaluate the effect of the NTAP application on self-etch (SE) adhesives or UAs applied in the SE mode.

Background This in-vitro study aimed to investigate the effect of two different antibacterial disinfectants on the microleakage performance of newly developed bulk-fill composite, bonded to different tooth structures. Methods Class V cavities were prepared in 30 sound premolar teeth, with enamel occlusal margins (OM) and dentin cervical margins (CM). Two disinfectants, 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) and Listerine Miswak (ListM), were used. Teeth were divided into three groups (n = 10): G1, Control; G2, CHX; and G3, ListM. Disinfectants were applied to the cavity preparation walls after they were etched with 35% phosphoric acid. The Single Bond Universal adhesive system was then used, and teeth were restored with Filtek One Bulk Fill composite. Samples were examined, after thermocycling aging, by stereomicroscopy for the evaluation of marginal dye penetration. Results The highest mean microleakage score was reported in the CM of G1 (2.60 ± 1.174), which was significant compared with that of G2 only ( p  = 0.02). OM in G1 showed no microleakage, with no significant differences found among groups (χ 2  = 1.39, p  = 0.50). No significant differences were reported between G2 and G3 ( p  = 0.45 OM; p  = 0.17 CM). Conclusions Cavity pretreatment with CHX is not significantly different to pretreatment with CHX. In contrast, CHX improved the cervical marginal seal as compare to the control group (G1).

Background To compare the efficiency of endodontic rotary and reciprocating systems in removing calcium silicate-sealer based fillings and to investigate the impact of passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) on their efficiency. Materials and methods 160 root-canals were instrumented, filled with gutta-percha and calcium silicate based-sealer and divided into 10 equal groups. Five groups in which the reciprocating systems ( WaveOne-Gold , Reciproc-Blue and R-Motion) and rotary systems ( Fanta-AF-One and Tango-Endo) were used to remove root-canals’ fillings. In the other five groups the fillings were removed by the same systems then additionally with PUI. The times to complete retreatments procedures were recorded. Micro-computed tomography’s analysis of the root-canals fillings’ volume before and after retreatments was used to determine the remaining filling materials (RFMs) volumes. Results The RFMs after using rotary systems (10.1%) was greater than after using reciprocating systems (3.8%) ( P  <  0.001 ). The RFMs after using WOG (2%) and RB systems (2.6%) were less than those in the RM ( 6.8%), TE (9.5%) and FAFO (10.7%) systems [P  <  0.05]. The times required to remove the filling materials using the TE ( 3.7 min), FAFO (4.1 min) and RM (4.1 min) systems were shorter than those required by the RB (5.4 min) and WOG (4.9 min) systems [P  <  0.05] . Using PUI resulted in less RFMs (1.44%) when compared to using only rotary or reciprocating systems (6.27%) [P  <  0.001] . Conclusions Endodontic reciprocation systems were more effective, but needed longer times than rotary systems in removing calcium silicate based- sealers fillings. The PUI significantly improved removal of the root-canals’ filling materials. Clinical relevance : Reciprocating systems and PUI are recommended whenever root-canals retreatment is considered regardless of using calcium silicate-based sealers.

Aqueous leaf extract of Plectranthus barbatus was used, for the first time, for preparation of (2, 6 mol%) silver (Ag)-doped zinc sulfide nanoparticles (ZnS NPs), acting as a stabilizing and capping agent for NPs’ production. The obtained metal oxides were characterized by FTIR, UV-visible, XRD, and SEM methods. The results revealed that 0.02 and 0.06% Ag-doped ZnS had optical bandgaps of 3.20 and 3.03 eV. The XRD evinced the crystalline nature, while the FTIR confirmed the doped structure of the prepared oxides. The bioactivity investigations revealed that the biosynthesized Ag-doped ZnS NPs are more active against S. aureus than E. coli. Furthermore, the hemolytic tests indicated no potential harm to red blood cells if utilized at a low dose. Such enhanced optical and biological properties of Ag-doped ZnS may promote its prospective use in electronics and as an antibacterial agent.

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of thermal and mechanical cyclic aging using a mastication simulator on push-out bond strength of mandibular premolars obturated with AH Plus and BioRoot RCS root canal sealers. Methods With REVO-S files up to SU/0.06 taper, 48 single-rooted premolar teeth were instrumented. The teeth were randomly divided into two main groups ( n  = 24) based on the two root canal sealers used (AH Plus and BioRoot RCS). All teeth were obturated with h matched-taper single-cone. Each main group was then subdivided into three subgroups (A, B, and C) ( n  = 8). Group A served as the negative control group (no-thermocycling aging). While groups B and C were subjected to thermal changes in a thermocycler machine (15,000 and 30,000 thermal cycles, respectively), followed by two different dynamic loading periods, 3 × 10 5 and 6 × 10 5 in a masticatory simulator with a nominal load of 5 kg at 1.2 Hz which represent roughly 1½ and 3 years of clinical function respectively. 2 mm slice at 3 levels, apical, middle, and coronal, to obtain 3 sections were prepared and subjected to push-out test using a universal testing machine. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by a Tukey post hoc comparisons test and an independent T-test. A significance level of 5% was used. Results After thermal–mechanical cyclic aging, the two root canal sealers showed a significantly decreased in push-out bond strength ( p  < 0.05), however, AH Plus had significantly higher bond strength values than BioRoot RCS after cycling aging. Conclusions It could be concluded that thermal–mechanical cyclic aging had a significant impact on the outcome of the dislodgment resistance of AH Plus and BioRoot RCS.