Influence of Material and Surface Roughness of Resin Composite Cements on Fibroblast Behavior

A well-polished cement surface increases the viability and spreading of gingival fibroblasts. The tested resin composite cements did not reveal any cytotoxic effects.

Objective: This in vitro study aimed to investigate the effect of cement type and roughness on the viability and cell morphology of human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1).Methods and Materials: Discs of three adhesive (Panavia V5 [PV5], Multilink Automix [MLA], RelyX Ultimate [RUL] and three self-adhesive (Panavia SA plus [PSA], SpeedCem plus [SCP], RelyX Unicem [RUN]) resin composite cements were prepared with three different roughnesses using silica paper grit P180, P400, or P2500. The cement specimens were characterized by surface roughness and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic mapping. A viability assay was performed after 24 hours of incubation of HGF-1 cells on cement specimens. Cell morphology was examined with scanning electron microscopy.Results: The roughness of the specimens did not differ significantly among the different resin composite cements. Mean Ra values for the three surface treatments were 1.62 ± 0.34 μm for P180, 0.79 ± 0.20 μm for P400, and 0.17 ± 0.08 μm for P2500. HGF-1 viability was significantly influenced by the cement material and the specimens' roughness, with the highest viability for PSA ≥ RUN = MLA ≥ SCP = PV5 > RUL (p<0.05) and for P2500 = P400 > P180 (p<0.001). Cell morphology did not vary among the materials but was affected by the surface roughness.Conclusion: The composition of resin composite cements significantly affects the cell viability of HGF-1. Smooth resin composite cement surfaces with an Ra of 0.2-0.8 μm accelerate flat cell spreading and formation of filopodia.