Effect of mechanical properties of fillers on the grindability of composite resin adhesives

IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of filler properties on the grindability of composite resin adhesives.MethodsSix composite resin products were selected: Transbond XT (3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif), Transbond Plus (3M Unitek), Enlight (Ormco, Glendora, Calif), Kurasper F (Kuraray Medical, Tokyo, Japan), Beauty Ortho Bond (Shofu, Kyoto, Japan), and Beauty Ortho Bond Salivatect (Shofu). Compositions and weight fractions of fillers were determined by x-ray fluorescence analysis and ash test, respectively. The polished surface of each resin specimen was examined with a scanning electron microscope. Vickers hardness of plate specimens (15 × 10 × 3 mm) was measured, and nano-indentation was performed on large filler particles (>10 μm). Grindability for a low-speed tungsten-carbide bur was estimated. Data were compared with anlaysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey multiple range test. Relationships among grindability, filler content, filler nano-indentation hardness (nano-hardness), filler elastic modulus, and Vickers hardness of the composite resins were investigated with the Pearson correlation coefficient test.ResultsMorphology and filler size of these adhesives showed great variations. The products could be divided into 2 groups, based on composition, which affected grindability. Vickers hardness of the adhesives did not correlate (r = 0.140) with filler nano-hardness, which showed a significant negative correlation (r = –0.664) with grindability.ConclusionsFiller nano-hardness greatly influences the grindability of composite resin adhesives.