[Comparative in vitro study on cellular reactions to soluble components of EBA and phosphate cement]

While the eluate of EBA cement does not have any toxic effect on the cell populations, the cells are noticeably damaged by the pH-corrected eluate of freshly mixed phosphate cement. Comparison between the cellular reaction to eluates and the solubility of the cements shows that the toxic effect is not a priori dependent on the composition of the material, but on the degree of dissolution which is primarily determined by the environment and the mixture ratio. The solutions of cement powder do not have any irritating effect on the cultivated cells. However, due to its content of eugenol, the EBA cement fluid solved in a considerably weaker concentration in the culture medium than the phosphate cement fluid damages the cells to such an extent that they die.