Strength of a New Protective Coating

Objective:  Compare the compressive strength (CS) and diametral tensile strength (DTS) of different glass ionomer materials used to seal dentin.  The materials used were one experimental material (EXP), and commercial materials:  3M™ ESPE™ Vitrebond™ Plus Liner/Base (VBP), and  GC Fuji™ Triage (FT).  EXP is a resin-modified glass ionomer coating material in a paste/paste delivery.

Methods:   Samples were cured in 4mm diameter glass tubes with the paste held under axial compression, then cut to 8mm (CS) and 2mm (DTS) in length.   Specimens were conditioned in de-ionized water at 37 °C for 24 hours prior to testing on an Instron machine.  Data were analyzed via one-way ANOVA and compared with Tukey's T-test (p<0.05).

Results:  CS and DTS in MPa  are shown below.

	CS(stdev)	DTS(stdev)
EXP	119.6(8.4)	26.8(3.1)
FT	108.3(46.6)	15.8(2.3)
VBP	106.1(8.5)	21.5(3.2)

Conclusions:  CS was not statistically different for all materials;  DTS was not statistically different for all materials.  EXP has physical properties suitable for providing a coating to seal dentin