Mechanical and Surface Behavior of Contemporary Restorative Materials Exposed to Topical Hemostatic Agents After...

Hemostatic agents are frequently used during pediatric dental procedures and may inadvertently contact restorative materials. This study evaluated the fracture-load and surface roughness of contemporary pediatric restorative materials following exposure to different surgical hemostatic agents after artificial aging. A total of 360 disc-shaped specimens were prepared from three pediatric restorative materials (composite, compomer, and glass hybrid), with separate sets of 180 specimens allocated to fracture-load and surface roughness assessment. For each outcome, specimens were exposed to ferric sulfate, tranexamic acid, or Ankaferd Blood Stopper for 20 s and subjected to either 5000 or 10,000 thermocycles. Data were analyzed using three-way factorial general linear models (α = 0.05). Composite exhibited higher fracture-load values than compomer and glass hybrid (both adjusted p < 0.001) and lower surface roughness than glass hybrid (adjusted p = 0.004). Transamine and Ankaferd showed higher fracture-load values than ferric sulfate (adjusted p = 0.003 and p = 0.020, respectively). All hemostatic-agent comparisons for surface roughness were significant (all adjusted p < 0.001), with Transamine showing the lowest and ferric sulfate the highest values. Specimens subjected to 10,000 thermocycles exhibited lower fracture-load and higher surface roughness than those subjected to 5000 thermocycles (both p < 0.001). A significant hemostatic agent × thermocycling interaction was observed for surface roughness. Fracture-load and surface roughness differed according to restorative material, surgical hemostatic agent, and thermocycling protocol. Selecting an appropriate surgical hemostatic agent may help preserve the mechanical and surface characteristics of pediatric restorative materials following artificial aging.