Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Shrinkage of Dental Composite in Simulated Cavity Measured with Digital Image Correlation
Published on: July 21, 2014
Characterization of low-shrinkage dental composites containing methacrylethyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane
Talita Angelina Tavares Canellas1, Aline de Almeida Neves2, Ingrid Kimberly Bezerra Dos Santos1
1Analitical Laboratory of Restorative Biomaterials - LABiom-R, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to characterize low-shrinkage dental composites containing methacrylethyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ME-POSS). Four experimental composites were manufactured, two of which contained organic matrixes of BisGMA-TEGDMA (70/30 wt% - BGC) and BisEMA-TEGDMA (80/20 wt% - BEC). The two other experimental composites replaced BisGMA and BisEMA with 25 wt% of ME-POSS (BGP and BEP). The composites also contained 70 wt% of 0.7 µm silanized BaBSi particles. The following properties were evaluated: Degree of conversion (DC%), volumetric polymerization shrinkage (VS%), polymerization shrinkage stress (Pss), flexural strength (FS), Flexural modulus (FM), hardness (KHN), water sorption (Wsp), water solubility (Wsl), diffusion coefficient (D), and wear. The DC% was not influenced by the presence of ME-POSS, with BEC (75.6%) and BEP (74.8%) presenting higher DC% than BGC (60.6%) and BGP (55.6%). The ME-POSS-containing composites (BGP and BEP) presented significantly lower VS% and Pss. The FS ranged from 92.7 to 142.0 MPa and the FM from 3.6 to 10.3 GPa. ME-POSS did not influence the KHN. BEC and BEP presented lower Wsp and Wsl when compared to BGC and BGP. D ranged from 1.0 × 10-6 to 7.4 × 10-6 cm2 m-1. Incorporation of ME-POSS significantly decreased the wear for both binary matrices (p < 0.05). With the exception of FS and FM for BGP, the incorporation of ME-POSS decreased the VS% and Pss without jeopardizing the other properties of the experimental dental composites.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
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...
Drying Shrinkage
A portion of this drying shrinkage can be reversed; if the concrete is...
Carbonation Shrinkage
The concrete's permeability is slightly reduced as calcium carbonate produced during the reaction fills its pores. Furthermore, its strength is slightly enhanced as the water released during the reaction...
Classifying Matter by Composition
According to its composition, the matter can be classified into two broad categories — pure substances and mixtures.
A pure substance is a form of matter that has a constant composition throughout with uniform properties. For example, any sample of sucrose has the same composition and same physical properties, such as melting point, color, and sweetness, regardless of the source from which it is isolated.
A mixture is composed of two or...
Composite Bodies
Composite bodies have widespread applications in mechanical engineering, from automobiles to aircraft to rockets. For example, an automobile wheel comprises...
Composition of Blood
Formed elements constitute the remaining 45% of the blood volume. These...

