SUMMARYObjectives: This study: 1) analyzed the surface roughness of five novel resin composites that contain nanoparticles after polishing with three different one-step systems and 2) evaluated the effectiveness of these polishers and their possible surface damage using scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. The samples were polished for 30 seconds with PoGo, OptraPol and One Gloss discs at 15,000 rpm using a slow speed handpiece. The surfaces were tested for roughness (Ra) with a surface roughness tester and examined with SEM. Oneway ANOVA was used for statistical analysis (p=0.05). MethodsResults: For all the composites tested, differences between the polishing systems were found to be significant (p<0.05). For Filtek Supreme XT, Mylar and PoGo created equally smooth surfaces, while significantly rougher surfaces were obtained after OptraPol and One Gloss applications. For Grandio, Mylar and PoGo created equally smooth surfaces, while OptraPol and One Gloss produced equally rougher surfaces. Tetric EvoCeram exhibited the roughest surface with OptraPol, while no significant differences were found between Premise and Ceram X. According to SEM images, OptraPol and One Gloss scratched and plucked the particles away from the surface, while PoGo created a uniform finish, although the roughness values were not the same for each composite.

The color stability of nanocomposites depends on the material's properties, rather than the polishing systems used. Z Ergücü • LS Türkün • A Aladag SUMMARYObjective: This study compared the color changes of five novel resin composites polished with two one-step polishing systems when exposed to coffee solution.Methods: The resin composites tested were Filtek Supreme XT, Grandio, CeramX, Premise and Tetric EvoCeram. A total of 150 discs (30/resin composites, 10 x 2 mm) were fabricated. Ten specimens/resin composites cured under Mylar strips served as the control. The other samples were polished with PoGo and OptraPol discs for 30 seconds using a slow speed handpiece and immersed in coffee (Nescafé) for seven days. Color measurements were made with Vita Easyshade at baseline and after one and seven days. Repeated Measures ANOVA and Bonferroni tests were used for statistical analyses (p≤0.05).Results: The differences between the mean ΔE* values for the resin composites polished with two different one-step systems were statistically significant (p<0.05). After one week, all materials exhibited significant color changes compared to baseline. All Mylar finished specimens showed the most intense staining (p<0.05).There were no significant differences between the OptraPol and PoGo polished groups. Mylarfinished specimens of CeramX, Tetric EvoCeram, Premise and Filtek Supreme XT presented the greatest staining (p<0.05). For Grandio, there were no significant differences between the Mylar and PoGo groups, while the most stain resistant surfaces were attained with OptraPol.Conclusion: Removing the outermost resin layer by polishing procedures is essential to achieving a stain resistant, more esthetically stable surface. One-step polishing systems can be used successfully for polishing nanocomposites.

Dentin bonding agents with antibacterial effects may inhibit secondary caries formation and pulp inflammation by eliminating residual bacteria in and on dentin. Therefore, the antibacterial effects of Prime & Bond NT (PB), Prime & Bond NT without fluoride (PBNF), Gluma Comfort Bond (GL), ABF, Xeno CF II (XE), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEG-DMA), and 0.2% chlorhexidine were tested against Streptococcus mutans, S. sobrinus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus using the agar-diffusion method with and without bovine-dentin disks (200 microm and 500 microm thickness) placed between the bacteria and the test substances. Without dentin, ABF Primer showed growth inhibition for all bacterial strains. XE inhibited S. mutans and S. sobrinus, and PB S. sobrinus. ABF Bonding inhibited L. acidophilus. PBNF, HEMA, and TEGDMA did not have any antibacterial effects. Dentin disks of 500 microm thickness reduced the inhibitory effect of chlorhexidine to 23% to 54% compared with direct application. ABF Primer (nonpolymerized) produced inhibition zones against all tester strains regardless of dentin disks interposed or not. XE (against S. mutans and S. sobrinus) and PB (against S. sobrinus) did not produce any inhibition zones on 200 microm thick dentin. After polymerization, the ABF system did not inhibit bacterial growth on 200 microm thick dentin disks. A dentin barrier reduces significantly the antibacterial activity of chlorhexidine and dentin bonding agents.

SUMMARYObjective: This study investigated the radiopacity of six commercially available flowable composites by using a digital image analysis method to determine the mean gray values of the materials.Methods: The flowable resin composites evaluated in this study were Clearfil Majesty Flow, Estelite Flow Q, Tetric N Flow, Esthet X Flow, Filtek Supreme XT Flow and Gradia Direct LoFlo. Ten sample discs (6 x 1 mm) for each group were prepared and 1-mm thick slices were obtained from freshly-extracted teeth for the control group. The mean gray values (MGVs) of each specimen and aluminum (Al) stepwedge were measured by using the histogram function of a computer graphics program. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to investigate the significance of the differences among the groups. For pairwise comparisons, the Tukey test was applied (α α=0.05). Results:The radiopacity values of Gradia Direct LoFlo, dentin and Estelite Flow Q were close to that of 1 mm Al. Tetric N Flow and Cl Majesty Flow were more radiopaque than enamel, whereas Filtek Supreme XT Flow had a similar radiopacity to enamel. Conclusion:The radiopacity of flowable composites varies considerably, and care must be taken when selecting an appropriate material to enable secondary caries detection under posterior composite restorations. INTRODUCTIONRadiopacity is an essential property for all restorative materials, 1 because adequate radiopacity allows the clinician to evaluate restoration integrity at subsequent Clinical RelevanceFlowable resin composites ranged in radiopacity from dentin equivalence to greater than that of enamel, making the product selection an important consideration for achieving adequate diagnostic contrast.