Radiopacity of dental cements and dental composites

Methods: For specimens were made of each restorative dental composites: Tetric EvoCeram A1, A2, L (TE), Premise Dentin A3,5 (P), Synergy D6 Dentin (S), one flowable composite: PermaFlo (PF) and tree dual cured resin cement: ParaCore Dentin (PC), ParaCem Universal DC (PCU), BUILD-IT (B). The disks of samples measuring 8 mm diameter and 1 mm thickness, mesiodistally sectioned human molar 1 mm thickness and aluminium step wedges on radiographic film. Radiographs were taken with a dental X-ray at 70kv, 8mA, for 0,32 sec. and target-film distance at 35 cm. After automatic development, dental films (Kodak D-Speed) were scanned for digitalisation of dental radiographs and average gray value was recorded for every sample. The radiopacity of the samples was expressed in terms of the equivalent thickness of aluminium per 1mm unit thickness of material.

Results: TE, PF had radiopacity values significantly greater than enamel, while PCU, PC, P, S and B had lower radiopacity values than enamel. All materials were more radiopaque than dentin. The results recorded were not statistically significant (p = 0.5) when evaluated with ANOVA statistical analysis.

Conclusions: Future dental composites are recommended to have higher radiopacity values than dentin and perhaps ideally similar to or higher than that of enamel for improved the clinical detection.

Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Ivoclar Vivadent for the donation of the resin composite and Infomed SRL for the donation of the dental films.