Strength properties of visible-light-cured resin-modified glass-ionomer cements

A new generation of glass ionomers containing polymerizable methacrylate monomers and/or prepolymers are now available for use as direct esthetic restorative materials. Proper clinical application of these new resin-modified glass ionomers requires an understanding of their benefits and limitations. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the compressive and diametral tensile strength at 1 hour, 24 hours, and 7 days of three visible-light-cured glass-ionomer cements, a polyacid-modified composite resin, and a composite resin core build-up material under both light-cure and dark-cure conditions. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences between several of the cements tested for both compressive and diametral tensile strengths at all three testing times (P > 0.05). Prosthodent composite resin and Vitremer tricure visible-light-cured glass-ionomer cement are significantly greater in both compressive and diametral tensile strength than any of the other materials tested after 7 days.