Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of finishing time and polishing time on surface roughness and microhardness of nanofilled and hybrid resin composites.Materials and Methods:Hundred disk composite specimens from micro hybrid composite and nanohybrid composite were prepared, 50 for each type of composite. The specimens were divided into five groups according to the time of finishing and polishing (immediate, 15 min, 24 h and dry). Composite under the Mylar strip without finishing and polishing was taken as the control group. Surface roughness was measured with environmental scanning electronic microscope (ESEM) and microhardness was determined using Vickers Microhardness Tester. Data collected were statistically analyzed by t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Turkey's post hoc test.Results:Smooth surface with low hardness was obtained for the group under Mylar strip without finishing and polishing. The highest roughness was recorded for delayed finishing and polishing for both composites. Immediate finishing and polishing increased the surface hardness more than that in the control group in both types of composites. Dry finishing reduced the hardness significantly for micro hybrid composite, but resulted in the highest surface hardness for nanofilled composite.Conclusion:Immediate finishing and polishing under coolant resulted in the best surface smoothness and hardness values in micro hybrid composite; however, immediate dry finishing and polishing gave the best smoothness and hardness values in nanohybrid composite.

Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) in remineralizing the bleached enamel surface using micro-hardness.Materials and Methods:Thirty human enamel slabs were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10). Groups A and B were exposed to 20% carbamide peroxide and 35% carbamide peroxide gel, respectively. After the exposure to the bleaching agent, the slabs were kept in artificial saliva for 1-week. Group C (control group) were kept in artificial saliva for 1-week. Vickers micro-hardness test was performed by Leica VMHT-Mot micro-hardness tester. CPP-ACP (Gc Tooth Mousse, Melbourne, Australia) was then applied to specimens of Groups A and B for 3 min for 2 weeks. Micro-hardness values of postbleach Group A (Ar) and Group B (Br) were recorded and statistically analyzed by paired t-test and one-way analysis of variance at the significance level of α =0.05.Results:There was a significant decrease in micro-hardness of enamel in carbamide peroxide bleached groups. However, there was a significant increase in micro-hardness after the remineralization by CPP-ACP and the extent of remineralization is more for the Group B.Conclusions:That bleaching agents reduced enamel micro-hardness and the use of CPP-ACP after bleaching can significantly enhance the micro-hardness of bleached enamel.