The Effect of a Green Smoothie on Microhardness, Profile Roughness and Color Change of Dental Restorative Materials

Abstract

Acidic drinks are known to exert negative effects on the surface properties of dental restorative materials. However, the effect of increasingly popular green smoothie drinks has not been addressed so far. The present study investigated the effect of cyclic immersions (5 min daily over 30 days) in a green smoothie drink on the surface properties of contemporary dental restorative materials, including resin composites, an alkasite, and a glass hybrid. Vickers microhardness, profile roughness, and perceptible color change in the CIE L* a* b* color space were evaluated as clinically relevant properties of the material surface. After 30-day green smoothie immersion, microhardness values either decreased by 8–28% (for resin composites) or increased by up to 91% (for glass hybrid). The increase in profile roughness (Ra parameter) of smoothie-immersed specimens was 7–26 times higher compared to the control group. The perceptible color change (ΔE*) in the smoothie group was 3–8 times higher compared to the control group. Overall, this study demonstrated that daily exposure of dental restorations made from resin composites, alkasites, and glass hybrid materials to a green smoothie drink can significantly accelerate material degradation, which is reflected as surface softening, as well as higher roughness and higher perceptible color change.

Effects of Accelerated Aging on Color Stability and Surface Roughness of a Biomimetic Composite: An In Vitro Study

“…Of course, material surface roughness is dependent on the type of material, and Filtek Z350 has been shown to have lower surface roughness than other resin composites [ 41 ]. The same results were observed for Filtek Z350 after in vitro aging as well [ 42 ]. IPS Empress Direct has been shown to not change surface roughnesses after coffee, tea, and distilled water immersion [ 35 ].…”

“…Different shades and material brands could also be tested as a continuation of this study. Another variable for future work is the microhardness of composites after aging; others have shown significant effects from this [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ].…”

Effect of Vegetable Juices on Properties of Two Resin Composites Used for Dental Caries Management

“…The colour was evaluated on the polished side of the specimens using a colorimeter (Chroma Meter CR400, Konica Minolta, Tokyo, Japan) against a white background using the Commission International de I'Eclairage CIE (L *a *b *) colour system [5,8]. The colour was measured before being immersed in beverages as a baseline and also after immersion for 1, 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively.…”

“…Any aesthetic restorative material must simulate tooth surface texture and its natural colour and also maintain these characteristics for long periods of time. However, discolouration of dental materials remains a major problem for their long-term use [2][3][4][5][6][7].…”

“…Medicina 2023, 59, 774 2 of 10 Extrinsic factors include surface stains, accumulation of plaque, superficial degradation, or a slight penetration of staining agents in the superficial layers of dental materials which can lead to alterations of surface or subsurface colour. Moreover, externally induced discolouration can be associated with surface integrity and surface roughness, which is related to the finishing and polishing technique [4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”