Analysis of Ionic-Exchange of Selected Elements between Novel Nano-Hydroxyapatite-Silica Added Glass Ionomer Cement and Natural Teeth

One of the foremost missions in restorative dentistry is to discover a suitable material that can substitute lost and damaged tooth structure. To this date, most of the restorative materials utilized in dentistry are bio-inert. It is predicted that the addition of nano-HA-SiO₂ to GIC matrix could produce a material with better ion-exchange between the restorative material and natural teeth. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to synthesize and investigate the transfer of specific elements (calcium, phosphorus, fluoride, silica, strontium, and alumina) between nano-hydroxyapatite-silica added GIC (nano-HA-SiO₂-GIC) and human enamel and dentine. The novel nano-hydroxyapatite-silica (nano-HA-SiO₂) was synthesized using one-pot sol-gel method and added to cGIC. Semi-quantitative energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis was carried out to determine the elemental distribution of fluorine, silicon, phosphorus, calcium, strontium, and aluminum. Semi-quantitative energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis was performed by collecting line-scans and dot-scans. The results of the current study seem to confirm the ionic exchange between nano-HA-SiO₂-GIC and natural teeth, leading to the conclusion that increased remineralization may be possible with nano-HA-SiO₂-GIC as compared to cGIC (Fuji IX).