Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Fluorescence in Aesthetic Direct Restorations

Abstract

Currently available direct restoration materials have been developed to have improved optical properties to interact with light in the same manner as the natural tooth. The objective of this study was to investigate the fluorescence of different enamel resin composites. In the present study, nine brands of enamel composites were tested in vitro, some of which are cited by manufacturers as having color adjustment potential. Fluorescence spectra of the composite specimens and the human natural enamel were measured with a fluorescence spectrophotometer immediately after preparation and after 6 months. Qualitative data of the specimens were also collected. Statistical analyses were conducted by Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U nonparametric tests (p < 0.05). Almost all tested resin composites presented a significant decrease in the fluorescence values after a period of 6 months. There was no significant decrease in fluorescence in the case of Harmonize™ resin composite samples, which presented the lowest initial fluorescence values. The highest value in the reduction of the initial fluorescence intensity after 6 months (22.95%) was observed for the Charisma® specimens. Composites with a color adjustment did not perform significantly better than other composites in terms of reduction in fluorescence intensity.

Fluorescence Light Reflection of Different Dental Materials: A Literature Review

“…Fluorescence intensity data are given in Figure 3 and Figure 4. The reduction of the values after 6 months and statistical significance are shown in Table 1 (6). Previous studies reporting a gradual loss of the fluorescence properties of resin-based composite (RBC) after aging, are of little informative value due to small sample sizes and artificially conducted aging procedures.…”

“…Nine enamel composite brands were examined in vitro for this review; several of the brands have been identified by manufacturers as having the capacity to modify color. A fluorescence spectrophotometer was used to measure the fluorescence spectra of the composite specimens and the natural enamel of humans both immediately following preparation and six months later (6).…”

“…In the oral cavity, composite undergoes diverse changes, including ageing over time, compromising the physical, chemical, and aesthetic properties (7). Teeth that possess poor fluorescence properties may appear dull or discolored, which can negatively affect the overall aesthetics of the smile (6). It has been demonstrated that certain CAD/CAM restorations have provided higher fluorescence properties as compared to hard tissues of the tooth (8).…”

Advanced Materials for Oral Application

“…Direct composite materials are the first choice when aesthetics is the primary goal. A wide choice of such materials is currently available, the match between the appearance of the restoration and the tooth structures depending not only on color but also on fundamental optical properties, such as translucency, opalescence, and fluorescence, indispensable for clinical shade-matching [ 15 ]. The article by Bardocz-Veres et al aimed to investigate the fluorescence of nine different composite resins.…”

“…They concluded that the fluorescence intensity of the assessed restorative materials shows significant differences compared to dental enamel, presenting lower or higher values. Further, all the tested composite resins showed decreased fluorescence values after six months [ 15 ].…”