Effects of water and microbial-based aging on the performance of three dental restorative materials

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance changes of three restorative materials before and after three different aging treatments: storage in distilled water, Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and oral salivary microbes suspensions for one month. Resin composite (RC), giomer and glass ionomer cement (GIC) were chosen for aging procedures. Surface morphology, roughness average (Ra), color changes and mechanical properties were all determined before and after aging respectively. Biomass and metabolism difference of early attached biofilm on the material surface were tested through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and lactic acid measurement. The results showed that after S. mutans or salivary microbes aging treatments, GIC group displayed significant morphology changes, with Ra value significantly higher than that before aging (p < .001). Color changes of giomer and GIC group after S. mutans aging were not clinically acceptable. All materials after two microbial-based aging treatments had higher flexural strength than that before aging (p < .05). Giomer after salivary microbes aging had higher elastic modulus than the initial values (p < .05). Additionally, early attached biofilm biomass and lactic acid production in GIC group after S. mutans or salivary microbes aging were higher than that before aging (p < .05). While one-month water aging showed less influences on material performance to some extent. In conclusion, to better simulate the harsh oral environment, in vitro microbial-based aging models showed more advantages in evaluating dental restorative materials' degradation over time.