Surface roughness evaluation of resin modified glass-ionomers polished utilizing poly(acrylic acid) gel

The differences in polishability of modified and conventional glass-ionomers were studied following different polishing procedures. Specimens of conventional glass-ionomer (Fuji II(R)), resin modified glass-ionomer (Vitremer(R)) and compomer (Dyract(R)) were prepared and polished using either Soflex(R) or Enhance(R) discs with either aluminum oxide or poly(acrylic acid) gel as polishing agents. Surface roughness of the specimens was evaluated by profilometric measurements and electron microscopic examination. It was shown that Soflex(R) discs manifest superior polishing effect on glass-ionomers and resin modified glass-ionomers compared to the Enhance(R) system, although no significant differences were found for the compomer specimens. Addition of poly(acrylic acid) gel as a polishing agent reduced surface roughness of conventional glass-ionomer and resin modified glass-ionomer specimens and did not significantly affect the compomer specimens.