Acid-base complex reactions in resin-modified and conventional glass ionomer cements

Resin-modified glass ionomer cements are a recent development in which the desirable properties of glass ionomer cements and resin-composites are combined. The presence of resin may, however, retard the acid-base reaction of the ionomer component. This has led to a debate regarding the classification of resin modified materials as true glass ionomer cements, and the actual duration of the acid-base reaction after initial setting via light polymerization has taken place. To investigate this issue, a novel method employing FT-IR spectrophotometry was used to monitor the acid-base complexation reaction in a resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Fuji II LC) and a conventional, chemically cured cement (Fuji II Cap). This method involved subtraction of the background "resin" spectrum from the Fuji II LC spectra and subsequent application of a baseline to obtain the plot of absorbance area ratio in the range of 1685 to 1510 cm(-1) (complexed carboxyls) to that in the range of 1750 to 1685 cm(-1) (free carboxyls). This study demonstrates evidence of a delayed acid-base reaction for the resin-modified cement, which levels off after 168 hours of cement mixing. In contrast, the complexation reaction of the conventional glass ionomer cement was essentially complete after 24 hours.