An in vitro examination of fluoride ions release from selected materials - resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (Vitremer) and nanohybrid composite material (TetricEvoCeram)

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine a short-term (7 days) fluoride ions release and mechanical properties (microhardness) of dental materials - resin-modified glass- ionomer – Vitremer (3M ESPE) and nanohybrid universal composite - TetricEvoCeram (IvoclarVivadent) to assess whether both materials may constitute effective method of tooth decay prevention. Methods The cylinder-shaped samples were prepared in a special form of a pellet, 2 mm thick and 5 mm in diameter. Specimens were cured with a use of the Bluephase Style 20i lamp (IvoclarVivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein). Afterwards, they were immersed in the studied solutions. The release of fluoride ions was examined with a use of an ORION 9609 ion-selective electrode (Thermo Fisher Scientific Co., Waltham, MA, USA) connected to a pH/ion meter CPI-551 Elmetron microcomputer. Microhardness measurements were carried out using microhardness tester CSM MicroCombi Tester™ and Indentation 5.21 software. Scanning electron micro-scope (SEM) were created on an FEI Nova NanoSEM 230 microscope (Hills-boro, OR, USA). The magnification was set to 2500x. Results Based on the results, both materials showed similar mechanical properties (microhardness), however cumulated release of F- after 7 days was notably higher from Vitremer in all artificial saliva solutions (1-7). Conclusions Therefore, we can assume that Vitremer has better remineralization potential and it may constitute more effective method of tooth decay prevention.