Preparation of new low viscosity urethane dimethacrylates for dental composites

Urethane-based polymers are very biocompatible in many biomedical applications. This study reports the synthesis of new low viscosity urethane dimethacrylates and evaluation of the formed composites. New urethane dimethacrylates were synthesized and formulated to form the composites. Compressive strength was used as a primary tool to evaluate the mechanical property. Water sorption, solubility, degree of conversion, flexural strengths and shrinkage were also investigated. It was found that liquid urethane dimethacrylates could be synthesized by derivatizing isocyanates with asymmetrical methacrylates. By eliminating diluent triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, the new urethane dimethacrylate-composed composites showed significantly higher modulus, lower water sorption, lower solubility and lower shrinkage, as compared to commercial BisGMA- and UDMA-based ones.