Mechanical properties of a permanent dental restorative material based on calcium aluminate

This paper deals with some important mechanical properties (hardness, dimensional stability, compressive and flexural strength) of an experimental version of a translucent calcium aluminate dental restorative material. All samples investigated have been made from pre-pressed tablets, with a compaction degree of approximately 60%, hydrated using a 0.15 wt % Li salt solution as an accelerator. The samples were stored in water at 37 degrees C between the measurements. As reference materials one composite, Tetric Ceram, and one glass ionomer, Fuji II, were used with specimens prepared according to the manufacturer's recommendations. For the reference materials some of the properties were published data. The results show that the calcium aluminate material has sufficient mechanical properties to be used as a permanent dental restorative taking as a reference the ISO 9917 and the ISO 4049 as well as the reference materials. In addition the results indicate that the mechanical properties are controlled by the microstructure, which is mainly determined by the grain size of the filler.