Because of the desire to avoid mercury-containing materials, resin based composite systems have been developed as alternative restorative biomaterials. Unfortunately, significant shrinkage during polymerization of these materials results in residual stresses and marginal leakage. Our group has developed a C6-t-butyl-diacrylate liquid crystal resin-based composite system (C6) that demonstrates minimal polymerization shrinkage. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine in vivo the biocompatibility of this C6 material and compare it to a commercially available, widely used resin composite system. Methods: Cavity preparations were created in the canines of ferrets using water-cooled burs under appropriate anesthesia. The cavities were restored with C6 or Z-100 (3M Dental Products, St. Paul, MN). Z-100 was used with and without the dentin-bonding agent (DBA) included in the kit. C6 was used with and without a thin layer of C6 monomer polymerized on the floor of the cavity as a sealant in lieu of a DBA. The ferrets received intraperitoneal injections of fluorescent dye at 0, 20 and 35 days following cavity restoration to determine dentin formation rate. The ferrets were euthanised on day 40 and prepared for histological examination. Results: Histological analysis of H&E stained sections demonstrated the absence of an inflammatory response and reparative dentin formation by the pulp beneath both the C6 and Z-100 restorations with DBA. Fluorescent labeling indicated that the rate of dentin formation was similar in the teeth restored with C6 and Z-100 with DBA. As expected, significant reparative dentin formation was observed in teeth restored with Z-100 without DBA. By contrast, minimal reparative dentin formation was observed in teeth restored with C6 without a sealant layer on the cavity floor. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the biocompatibility of the C6 monomer based material is equivalent to the biocompatibility of the Z-100 based system. Supported by NIH grant DE11688

Back to the Dental Materials: VIII - Others-Non-metallic Program
Back to the IADR/AADR/CADR 80th General Session (March 6-9, 2002)

Top Level Search