Ytterbium (III) Fluoride in Dental Materials

Abstract

(1) Background: The compound ytterbium trifluoride is used as a component of several dental materials, and this is reviewed in the current article. (2) Methods: Published articles on this substance were identified initially from PubMed, and then from Science Direct and Google Scholar. The publications identified in this way showed that ytterbium trifluoride has been included in a variety of dental restorative materials, including composite resins, glass polyalkenoate cements, and calcium trisilicate cements. (3) Results: Ytterbium trifluoride is reported to be insoluble in water. Despite this, its presence is associated with fluoride release from dental materials. There is evidence that it reacts with the components of calcium trisilicate cements to form small amounts of a variety of compounds, including ytterbium oxide, Yb2O3, and calcium–ytterbium fluoride, CaYbF5. In nanoparticulate form, it has been shown to reinforce glass polyalkenoates and it also provides high contrast in X-ray images. (4) Conclusions: Ytterbium trifluoride is a useful component of dental materials, though some of the published findings suggest that there are aspects of its chemistry which are poorly understood.

Performance Assessment of Three Similar Dental Restorative Composite Materials via Raman Spectroscopy Supported by Complementary Methods Such as Hardness and Density Measurements

“…Initially, YbF 3 has been used as radiopacifying agent in composite resin restorative materials, but the additional benefits in terms of the lower setting time and fast hardening process have led to its widespread use in root-sealing cements. An excellent work on the intricate properties of this additive in dental restorative materials is given by John W. Nicholson [ 31 ]. Here, the author noted that the hardness of the surface of the restorative materials containing YbF 3 and BaSO 4 decreases at higher percentage.…”