Comparison of Mechanical Properties of Resin-based Dental Composites with Different Filler Types

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro the influence of nano-sized filler particles and agglomerates of nano-particles (nano-cluster)in resin-based dental composite material. Four commercially available resin-based dental composites – Filtek Z250, Filtek Supreme, Filtek Z100 (3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA), Heliomolor (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaon, Liechtenstein) containing different filler particle types and morphologies were investigated. The compressive strength, compressive modulus, flexural modulus and flexural strength of these composites were evaluated. The nanoclusters provided a distinct reinforcing mechanism compared with the microhybrid, microfill or nanohybrid resin-based composites resulting in significant improvement to the strength and reliability.

Keywords: mechanical properties, nanocluster, nano-particles