Child toothbrush abrasion effect on ionomeric materials

Area of Science:

• Dental Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Surface Characterization

Background:

• Glass ionomer cements are widely used dental restorative materials.
• Assessing the long-term surface integrity of dental materials under mechanical stress is crucial.
• Toothbrush abrasion is a common factor affecting the surface properties of dental restorations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the abrasive effects of different toothbrush bristle types on conventional and resin-modified glass ionomer cements.
• To evaluate the in vitro surface roughness changes of two glass ionomer cement types after simulated toothbrushing.
• To determine if toothbrush bristle design influences the surface roughness of glass ionomer cements.

Main Methods:

• In vitro evaluation of surface roughness using a surface roughness-measuring device.
• Simulated toothbrushing abrasion using three types of toothbrushes (soft-cross, extra-soft-parallel, soft-parallel) and a dentifrice slurry.
• Standardized testing conditions: 37°C, 24 hours humidity, 250 cycles/minute, 200g load.
• Comparison of surface roughness before and after abrasion for conventional (C) and resin-modified (V) glass ionomer cements.

Main Results:

• No significant interaction was found between glass ionomer cement type and toothbrush bristle type.
• Resin-modified glass ionomer cement (V) demonstrated significantly higher surface roughness compared to conventional glass ionomer cement (C) after abrasion.
• Soft-cross bristles (CB) resulted in higher surface roughness than soft-parallel bristles (S) on resin-modified glass ionomer cement.
• No significant difference in surface roughness was observed when using extra-soft-parallel bristles (ES) compared to soft-parallel or soft-cross bristles.

Conclusions:

• Resin-modified glass ionomer cements are more susceptible to surface roughening from toothbrush abrasion than conventional glass ionomer cements.
• The type of toothbrush bristle (soft-cross, extra-soft-parallel, soft-parallel) did not significantly alter the overall abrasive effect on either cement type.
• Clinical recommendations for toothbrush selection may need to consider the material properties of glass ionomer restorations to minimize surface degradation.