Experimental and Finite Element Analysis of Compressive Strength and Diametral Tensile Strength of Luting Cement: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

Background Strength parameters greatly influence the selection of luting agents. This study compared the compressive and diametral tensile strengths (DTS) of three luting cements. Materials and methods Three luting cements, conventional glass ionomer (CGI), resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI), and resin cement (RC), were tested for compressive strength and DTS. Forty-two standardized specimens were prepared, measuring 4 mm by 6 mm for compressive tests and 6 mm by 3 mm for diametral tensile tests. The luting materials were prepared according to the manufacturers' instructions. Result Experimental mean compressive and diametral strengths and standard errors were calculated for each luting agent (n = 10). Analysis of variance was computed (p < 0.05), and multiple comparison tests were performed. RC showed significantly higher compressive strengths and DTS among the three tested luting cements, while the CGI showed the least. The results obtained by finite element analysis (FEA) for both tests closely matched the experimental results. Conclusion In this study, it was concluded that the mean compressive strength and DTS values of all three luting cements were significantly different. The resin luting cement exhibited the highest compressive strength and DTS, while the CGI exhibited the least.