Effect of Adding Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Some Mechanical Properties of Dental Alginate

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) on Shore A hardness, Young’s modulus, and tear strength of alginate impression material. Methods: Each test consists of one control group (alginate without TiO2NPs), and three test groups (2%, 3%, and 5%) of TiO2NPs were added, respectively. For each group, seven samples were constructed. For Shore A hardness, the samples were prepared according to ISO standards (7619-1:2010); Young’s modulus was calculated from the obtained Shore A hardness value according to a special standard equation. In contrast, for tear strength, the samples were prepared according to ASTM D 624-00. Results: The Control group exhibited a significantly less Shore A hardness value than all the other groups except the group that contained 2% TiO2NPs, where the increase in the hardness value was non-significant. A similar result was observed for Young’s modulus test, where the addition of TiO2NPs significantly increased Young’s modulus compared to the control group. Although, on the contrary, the tear strength was significantly improved by adding 3% TiO2NPs compared to control and other groups, there was a significant drop in the value of tear strength when 5% TiO2NPs were added to alginate. Conclusions: The addition of 3% TiO2NPs to dental alginate increased Shore A hardness, Young’s modulus, and significantly improved tear strength.