Water sorption and solubility of different commercially available dental cements : an in vitro study

Abstract EN

Background : A variety of cements have been used in dentistry through many years for two primary purposes : as restorative filling materials, either alone or with other materials, and to retain restorations or appliances in a fixed position within the mouth.

In addition, certain cements are used for specialized purposes in the restorative, endodontic, orthodontic, periodontic, and surgical fields of dentistry.

Cement solubility and water sorption could be a primary cause of restoration failure.

Aim of study : To evaluate the water sorption and solubility of different commercially available dental cement materials.

Materials and Methods : Thirty disks (9 × 2 mm) of zinc polycarboxylate, zinc phosphate and glass ionomer cements (ten disks for each one) were prepared according to manufactures instructions.

After setting, they were desiccated and weighed and each specimen were immersed in distil water for 7 days, then removed and weighed again.

Then disks were again desiccated and weighed.

Solubility and water sorption values were calculated from these different measures.

Results and Conclusion : The results shows that the polycarboxylate cement show the highest value of water sorption and water solubility followed by zinc phosphate cement.

Glass ionomer cement shows the lowest values of the three materials tested regarding both water sorption and water solubility.