Effect of a glaze/composite sealant on the 3-D surface roughness of esthetic restorative materials

The main goal of the current study was to evaluate the surface roughness of tooth-colored restorative materials after different finishing/polishing protocols, including a liquid polisher (BisCover, BISCO, Schaumburg, IL, USA). The restorative materials tested included two nanofilled resin composites (Filtek Supreme, 3M Dental Products, St Paul, MN, USA and Grandio, Voco, Cuxhaven, Germany), one resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Vitremer, 3M Dental Products) and one conventional glass ionomer cement (Meron Molar ART, Voco). The finishing/polishing methods were divided into five groups: G1 (compression with Mylar matrix), G2 (finishing with diamond burs), G3 (Sof-Lex, 3M Dental Products), G4 (BisCover, BISCO, after diamond burs) and G5 (BisCover after Sof-Lex). Five cylindrical specimens of each material were prepared for each group according to the manufacturer's instructions. The finishing/polishing methods were performed by a single operator in one direction to avoid variations at low speed (15,000 RPM). The surface roughness was evaluated using a 3-D scanning instrument with two parameters considered (Ra and Rz). The data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by a multiple comparison Tukey's test. The results showed that BisCover (BISCO) was capable of reducing surface roughness and provided polished surfaces for all materials, enhancing smoothness over already polished surfaces (Sof-Lex, 3M Dental Products) and achieving polishing after finishing with diamond burs.