Biophysical Properties of Three Light-cured Pulp Capping Materials

This study assessed photoactivated dentin-pulp complex materials concerning cell viability, degree of conversion, compressive strength, and bioactive potential. The materials Theracal, Hidrox-cal, and Ultra-Blend underwent cell viability testing using the MTT assay (n = 6), degree of conversion analysis via Raman spectroscopy (n = 5), and compressive strength testing on a universal testing machine (n = 5). Bioactive potential (n = 3) was determined through scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy after 30 days of immersion in simulated body fluid. For cell viability, the Kruskal-Wallis test was employed, followed by Dunn's post hoc test. Degree of conversion, compressive strength, and bioactivity data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey's post hoc tests. For all analyses, α = 0.05 was considered. Cell viability was similar between Hidrox-cal and Ultra-Blend, while Theracal exhibited the lowest cell viability values. The degree of conversion was also higher in the Hidrox-cal group, which did not differ from Ultra-Blend. No differences were observed in compressive strength. The bioactive potential demonstrated a greater formation of crystalline structures in Theracal and Ultra-Blend, however limited. Light-cured pulp capping materials, despite demonstrating good mechanical properties, showed limited performance in terms of bioactivity and cytotoxicity ranging from slight to high.