Effect of finishing, polishing and staining on esthetic properties of resin-based composites

Objectives: To examine the effect of polishing and artificial staining on gloss, color and translucency of resin-based composites.


Methods: Micro-hybrid composites LC MH Ceramic AP (A1 shade; S&C Polymer GmbH; marketed in Serbia as Festy, Galenika), Te-Econom (A1 shade; Ivoclar Vivadent) and Gradia (XBW shade; GC) were used to prepare 30 rectangular-shaped specimens of each composite in a silicon mold placed between two glass slides. Specimens were cured for 40 s unilaterally (LEdition; Ivoclar Vivadent) and allocated to 5 groups (n=6):
Group 1: Diamond bur+composite rubber polisher (NTI);
Group 2: Diamond bur+composite rubber polisher+Vantal paste (Galenika);
Group 3: SuperSnap set (Schofu);
Group 4: SuperSnap+SuperBuff set (Schofu);
Group 5: Control-unpolished
Following polishing, each group was divided into two sub-groups of 3 specimens each depending on the colored solution. The specimens were kept in Nescafe or red wine for 7 days at 37°C. Gloss was measured using a gloss checker (IG-331; Horiba) and color parameters were determined using a spectrophotometer VITA Easy Shade Advance 4.0 (Vita). Data were statistically analyzed using a general linear model (GLM) and analysis of variance with Tukey’s post-hoc test at α=0.05.


Results: Statistically significant differences in gloss between composites (Festy>Te-Econom> Gradia) and polishing techniques (Group 5>Group 4>Group 3>Group 1>Group 2) were recorded. Gradia showed no differences in gloss before and after staining irrespective of the solution (p>0.05) whereas Festy and Te-Econom generally showed higher gloss after staining in red wine (p<0.05). Translucency decreased after staining: ΔTP=-4.03 (Gradia), ΔTP=-3.45 (Te-Econom), ΔTP=-1.07 (Festy). Color changes were significant in all groups after staining: ΔE=30.9 (Te-Econom), ΔE=30.2 (Gradia), ΔE=24.9 (Festy).


Conclusions: SuperSnap and SuperBuff set provided the highest gloss. Though less glossy than Festy and Te-Econom, Gradia showed the most stabile gloss after staining. Staining largely affected color and to a much lesser extent the translucency of all tested composites.