Radiopacity and Filler Content of Dual-Cure Resin Core Material, Dual-Cure Resin Cement, and Bulk-Fill Resin...

This study evaluated the effect of filler content and composition on the radiopacity of different resin-based materials used to cement fiberglass posts (dual-cure resin cements or dual-cure resin core materials) and build the core (bulk-fill or dual-cure core resin composites) to restore endodontically treated teeth.

Nine resin-based materials were tested: Four dual-cure resin core materials: Allcem Core, FGM; LuxaCore Z, DMG; Rebilda DC, VOCO; and Clearfil DC Core Plus, KURARAY; three dual-cure resin cements: RelyX Universal, 3M Oral Care; RelyX U200, 3M Oral Care; and Allcem Dual, FGM; and two bulk-fill resin composites: OPUS Bulk Fill APS, FGM; and Filtek One Bulk Fill, 3M Oral Care. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, %) was performed to determine the filler content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to evaluate the filler morphology and composition. Radiopacity was measured using digital radiographs (n=10) according to ISO 4049 standards. TGA and radiopacity data were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by a Tukey post hoc test (α=0.05).

Except for Luxacore Z, the dual-cure resin core materials and bulk-fill resin composites had higher filler contents than the dual-cure resin cements (p<0.001). Allcem Core exhibited more homogeneous fillers without agglomerates, whereas RelyX Universal presented only nanoparticles. OPUS Bulk Fill APS, Allcem Dual, and Allcem Core, made by the same manufacturer, presented similar sizes, shapes, and distributions of filler content. EDS analysis revealed that oxygen O (8), Si (14), C (6), Al (13), and Ba (56) were the most prevalent elements. The radiopacity of the tested materials is related to the presence of high atomic number elements such as Yr (70), La, (57), Ba (56), Zr (40), Sr (38), and Br (35) in their filler composition. All materials satisfied the ISO 4049 radiopacity requirements.

Results were product-specific. Except for LuxaCore Z and Allcem Core, dual-cure resin core materials exhibited filler content similar to that of bulk-fill resin composites and higher than that of dual-cure resin cements. All materials exceeded the ISO 4049-2019 standard for radiopacity of restorative materials.