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Impact of polishing methods on surface roughness and S. mutans adhesion in composite resins: an in vitro study
Melek Çam1, Zeynep Buket Kaynar2, Kevser Atalık3
1Department of Restorative Dentistry, Istanbul Okan University Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul, Turkey. meleksahin12@hotmail.com.
Background:
This study aimed to evaluate the surface roughness and Streptococcus mutans adhesion on two different composite resin materials following the application of various polishing systems.
Methods:
Eighty disk-shaped specimens (8 mm diameter, 2 mm thickness) were fabricated using nanohybrid (Charisma Topaz) and nanofilled (Tokuyama Estelite Asteria) composite resins (n = 40 each). Each material group was further divided into four groups (n = 10) according to the polishing system used: Mylar strip (control), Sof-Lex™, Clearfil™ Twist Dia, and Opti1Step™. After measuring the surface roughness, the sterilized samples were divided into two subgroups as, "artificial saliva-treated samples" and "non-treated samples." For each subgroup, solutions containing S. mutans were added, and the samples were incubated at 35-37 °C for 24 h. Determination of adhered bacteria on surfaces depended upon colony counts obtained after incubation, which was presented as CFU/mL. Statistical analyses included two-way ANOVA for surface roughness and three-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc test for bacterial adhesion.
Results:
SR values ranged from 0.07 ± 0.01 μm to 0.09 ± 0.03 μm across all groups, remaining well below the clinical threshold of 0.2 μm, highlighting that the minor surface variations observed are unlikely to have clinical significance regarding plaque retention. (p > 0.05). S. mutans adhesion values ranged between 2.83 ± 0.25 log CFU/mL and 3.57 ± 0.32 log CFU/mL. No statistically significant differences were found between polishing methods or saliva conditions (p > 0.05). The three-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant main effect of composite resin material on S. mutans adhesion (F = 29.895, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.322), indicating that bacterial colonization varied according to the resin material used.
Conclusion:
While different polishing systems did not significantly affect surface roughness or bacterial adhesion, the composite resin type appears to play a crucial role in S. mutans colonization.
