[In vivo contact angle measurements on filling materials before and after surface polishing]

The adhesion of oral bacteria on teeth and filling materials is a function of the surface energy and consequently the contact angle of a drop of fluid on the respective material. This study determines the contact angle on various filling materials (composites, glass ionomere cement) before and after surface polishing. Thirty and sixty minutes after application of the filling materials composites demonstrated contact angles which partly were significantly smaller than on natural enamel. Glass ionomere cements did not show any significant differences from enamel. After surface polishing, one composite material and one glass ionomere cement showed significantly larger contact angles than before. Further studies are required to elucidate the clinical relevance of different contact angles.