Effect of home-use fluoride gels on resin-modified glass-ionomer cements

Acidic fluoride gels have been found to significantly damage conventional glass-ionomer cements. In this study the effect to acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) and neutral fluoride gels on the recently introduced resin-modified glass ionomers and a polyacid-modified composite resin (Variglass) was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Five materials were examined: Photac-Fil, Fuji II LC, Vitremer, Variglass, and Ketac-Fil (control). Groups of five specimens of each material were treated for 24 hours with one of the following: 1) distilled water, 2) neutral fluoride gel, 3) APF gel. Surface micro-structure of treated specimens was examined using SEM, and microphotographs were evaluated using a three-point scale. APF was found to have a deleterious effect on all examined materials, while minimal effects resulted from the neutral fluoride gel compared to the control group. Although showing greater resistance to the APF gel than conventional glass-ionomer cements, resin-modified glass-ionomer materials revealed characteristic immersion and erosion behavior, substantiating their differentiation from a hybrid material containing a preponderance of resin.