Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026

Shrinkage of Dental Composite in Simulated Cavity Measured with Digital Image Correlation
Published on: July 21, 2014
Effect of low-shrinking composite on the bonding effectiveness of two adhesives in occlusal Class-I cavities
Atsushi Mine1, Jan De Munck, Marcio V Cardoso
1Leuven BIOMAT Research Cluster, Department of Conservative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. amine@md.okayama-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a low-shrinking composite can improve the bonding effectiveness of adhesives in highly constrained conditions. A low-shrinking composite ('els-extra low shrinkage', Saremco) was bonded in standardized occlusal Class-I cavities using a three-step ('cmf', Saremco) and a two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive ('XP Bond', Dentsply). Both adhesives were also combined with a conventional composite ('Z100', 3M ESPE). Half of the restored cavities were exposed to 20,000 thermo-cycles. 3-way ANOVA revealed a significant effect for the factors 'adhesive' and 'composite' (both p<0.0001), but not for 'thermo-cycling' (p=0.994). Significantly higher bond strengths were recorded for the low-shrinking composite than for the control composite, using either of the adhesives. The low-shrinking composite in combination with the three-step etch-and-rinse adhesive performed best in the high C-factor Class-I cavity. The two-step etch-and-rinse adhesive suffered strongly from polymerization-shrinkage stress, which could be partially restored by using the low-shrinking composite.
Related Concept Videos
Bonding and Strength of Aggregate
Shrinkage in Concrete
When concrete is still in its plastic state, it can undergo a decrease in volume by about 1% of its absolute volume. This decrease is known as plastic shrinkage. It arises either...
Mortar Properties
Drying Shrinkage
A portion of this drying shrinkage can be reversed; if the concrete is...
