[Acoustic microscopy methods in studies of the filling materials microstructure]

The structure of filling materials (kemfil, polyacrylate cement, and Dentis, material produced by Stomadent Firm in Russia) at the interface with human dentin was studied in teeth subjected to retrograde filling with preliminary appendectomy. A prototype of table wide-field short pulse scanning acoustic microscope (50 mHz) (Acoustic Microscopy Center, Institute of Biochemical Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences) and Elsam acoustic microscope (200 mHz) (Leitz, Germany) were used. The results indicate that analysis of acoustic characteristics, including the data of acoustic microscopy, helps investigate the cement microstructure and evaluate the compactness and elasticity of samples; moreover, structural elements of the material, which are undetectable by other methods, are seen on acoustic images. These data can be used for evaluating the relationship between the microstructure and formation of mechanical properties, and, maybe, the patterns of cement interactions with dental tissues.