A novel high-wear-resistant glass-ionomer cement for class I and class II restorations

This study reports the results of an evaluation on the in vitro wear of a newly developed experimental light-cured glass-ionomer cement composed of the synthesized six-arm star-shape poly(acrylic acid) and Fuji II LC glass fillers. The resin composite P-60, as well as glass-ionomer cements Fuji II and Fuji II LC, were used for comparison. All specimens were conditioned in distilled water at 37°C for 1 d prior to testing. The experimental cement exhibited statistically the same wear-resistance to abrasion as P-60, but the wear-resistance was 14 times higher for the experimental cement than for Fuji II and Fuji II LC. Furthermore, the experimental cement showed a degree of wear-resistance to attrition that was 1.4 times higher than both Fuji II and Fuji II LC but six times lower than that of P-60. Impressively, after 1 month of aging the experimental cement was able to compete with P-60 in wear-resistance to attrition, showing a degree of wear depth that was only 1.3 times more than that of P-60. It appears that this novel cement is a clinically attractive dental restorative that can be potentially used for high-wear sites such as class I and class II restorations.