The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of brushing with two whitening dentifrices (Colgate Optic White (COW) and Colgate Optic White Charcoal (COC)) on surface gloss, micro-roughness, and micro-hardness of nanostructured hybrid conventional (Z350) and bulk-fill (Tetric N Ceram bulk-fill) polymer composite. In total, 96 disk samples using two nano-hybrid composite polymers (Z350 and Tetric N Ceram Bulk-fill) were prepared. All specimens were exposed to two different dentifrices (COW and COC), resulting in four main subgroups in the study. Specimens were assessed for surface gloss, micro-roughness (Ra), and micro-hardness using standardized methodology. Means and standard deviations of properties compared using paired t-test, one-way and two-way ANOVA, and post hoc test. The presence of dentifrices did not show any significant difference in micro-hardness values of Z350 (p > 0.05), whereas micro-hardness of bulk-fill composite significantly reduced on dentifrices exposure (p ≤ 0.05). Bulk-fill polymer composite showed significant reduction in gloss after dentifrice exposure (p < 0.05), however, Z350 showed no significant loss of gloss due to dentifrices (p > 0.05). A significant increase in Ra was observed for both resin materials after exposure to dentifrices (COC and COW). Conventional resin composite (Z350) showed comparable surface hardness and gloss before and after dentifrice exposure, however, micro-roughness increased significantly due to dentifrice exposure. Bulk-fill resin (Tetric N Ceram) showed significant loss of micro-hardness and gloss and increase in micro-roughness on dentifrice exposure. Conventional nano-hybrid composite polymer showed better durability in resisting loss of surface properties compared to bulk-fill resin polymer in the present experiment.

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Method: 80 MOD preparations were carried out in human maxillary premolas. 10 sound premolars served as control (Control). Samples were divided into 2 groups (n=40) according to the composition of the prepared walls, composed of either enamel and dentine (E+De) or dentine only (De). Each group was then divided into 4 subgroups (n=10) according to the selected cusp height to width ratio (H:W), (A=2:1mm, B=3:1mm, C=3:1.5mm, D=4.5:1.5mm). The samples were uniaxially loaded to 130N where strain was recorded with (DIC) and (SG). Results: With SG testing, Control samples recorded the lowest strain values and were significantly different from all test groups. However, DIC failed to detect strain in Control samples as it was too low. With DIC, group D showed the lowest strain readings among all dimension groups with significant difference from groups A and B. However, the composition of the remaining tooth structure did not show any significant effects. While with strain gauge testing, remaining wall dimension and composition had a significant effect. Group A scored the highest strain at all compositions. E+De had better resistance to load stresses than De only. Conclusions: For both testing methodologies, height (≥3mm) and width (1-1.5mm) of the remaining tooth structure had an effect on strain. Tooth compositions of (E+De) resisted strain better than (De) counterparts at all dimensions.

Objective. Our study is aimed at preparing an experimental adhesive (EA) and assessing the influence of adding 5-10 wt.% concentrations of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on the adhesive’s mechanical properties. Methods. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy were employed to investigate the morphology and elemental distribution of the filler nanoparticles. To examine the adhesive properties, microtensile bond strength (μTBS) testing, an investigation of the rheological properties, degree of conversion (DC), and analysis of the interface between the adhesive and dentin were carried out. Results. The SEM micrographs of ZnO nanoparticles demonstrated spherical agglomerates. The EDX plotting confirmed the incidence of Zn and oxygen (O) in the ZnO nanoparticles. The highest μTBS was observed for nonthermocycled (NTC) 5 wt.% ZnO group ( 32.11 ± 3.60  MPa), followed by the NTC-10 wt.% ZnO group ( 30.04 ± 3.24  MPa). Most of the failures observed were adhesive in nature. A gradual reduction in the viscosity was observed at higher angular frequencies, and the addition of 5 and 10 wt.% ZnO to the composition of the EA lowered its viscosity. The 5 wt.% ZnO group demonstrated suitable dentin interaction by showing the formation of resin tags, while for the 10 wt.% ZnO group, compromised resin tag formation was detected. DC was significantly higher in the 0% ZnO (EA) group. Conclusion. The reinforcement of the EA with 5 and 10 wt.% concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles produced an improvement in the adhesive’s μTBS. However, a reduced viscosity was observed for both nanoparticle-reinforced adhesives, and a negotiated dentin interaction was seen for 10 wt.% ZnO adhesive group. Further research exploring the influence of more filler concentrations on diverse adhesive properties is recommended.