Solubility of dental core build-up materials in electric fields

Over 250 years has been researched over the consequences of oral galvanism. Previous studies have already examined the influence on dental fixation materials. The aim of this study was to investigate the electro-chemical solubility behavior of different dental core build-up materials in a pseudo-realistic galvanic experimental setup.

The composite Admira (Voco, Cuxhaven, Germany) and two glass ionomer cements, Ketac Molar and Photac (3M-Espe, Seefeld, Germany), were examined. Test specimens were exposed to electric field strengths of 10-27 V/m in 0.9% saline solution. After 1, 2, 3, and 24 h, 2 ml of the electrolyte was removed for analysis. Aluminum and calcium were selected as parameters to measure the solubility of the products. Differences between the test samples and controls were ascertained using the two sample t-test.

For all of the test groups, Admira demonstrated minimal solubility compared to Ketac and Photac. However, after 24 h in an electric field of 27 V/m, Admira demonstrated the highest increase in solubility compared to the controls (3.47 vs control at 0.76 μmol/l). The second highest increase yielded the conventional glass ionomer cement Ketac (8.62 vs control at 5.28 μmol/l), and a minor increase in solubility showed the composite-based glass ionomer material Photac (38.73 vs control at 31.78 μmol/l) compared to the controls.

This study demonstrated that galvanic processes increase the solubility of glass ionomer and composite. Therefore, the time of storage, electric field strength, and contact of the material with the electrodes significantly influenced their solubility.