Multimodal Evaluation of Surface Topography and Color Stability in Pediatric Restorative Materials Exposed to...

Restorative materials in pediatric dentistry are frequently exposed to acidic oral liquid medications, which may alter their surface properties and color. This in vitro study compared the surface roughness, three-dimensional topography, and color stability (ΔE₀₀) of a glass hybrid restorative system (GH), a polyacid-modified composite resin (PMC), and a nanohybrid bulk-fill resin composite (NHC) following a standardized repeated-exposure protocol to two pediatric antihistamine syrups: ketotifen (Zaditen^®) and cetirizine (Zyrtec^®).

Disc-shaped specimens were randomly allocated to three immersion subgroups per material (Zaditen^®, Zyrtec^®, distilled water). After baseline measurements (t0), specimens underwent 5000 thermal cycles (t1), then immersion in the assigned solution for 5 min, twice daily, for 6 days (t2). Ra and ΔE₀₀ were evaluated quantitatively; surface degradation was further characterized descriptively using 3D optical profilometry and SEM. Data were analyzed using a three-way mixed-design ANOVA (Time × Material × Solution).

Antihistamine syrup exposure was associated with significant changes in surface topography and color stability (p < 0.001), with large-to-moderate effect sizes for time and its interactions. GH showed the highest Ra and largest color change, but much of this occurred after thermocycling, before syrup exposure. NHC and PMC generally showed smaller changes than GH. 3D profilometry and SEM revealed material-specific morphologies, interpreted descriptively rather than as confirmed degradation mechanisms.

Standardized repeated exposure to ketotifen and cetirizine syrups was associated with material-dependent changes in surface topography and color stability, with GH showing the greatest change and NHC/PMC comparatively greater stability; clinical extrapolation requires further study.