Novel wear resistant and low toxicity dental obturation materials

Preparation of new polymer (polyurethane) + ceramic nanohybrids for filling dental cavities is reported. Short curing times (below 10 min) are achieved. Some tribological properties are determined and compared with those of commercial dental materials. The new materials provide scratch resistance as well as good adhesion to dentin and enamel, low toxicity and high chemical resistance; additionally, they can be easily pigmented to match the teeth color. Microscratch testing which provides the instantaneous penetration depth, the residual depth after scratch healing and the percentage recovery turns out to be a useful tool for differentiation of quality between dental obturation materials.