Physical Properties and Characterization.

Abstract Body: With the growing popularity of hydraulic calcium silicate cements and the expanding scope of their clinical applications in dentistry, it has become essential to understand their properties and characteristics. Such understanding can bridge the gap between the anticipated potentials of these materials and their actual performance in-situ. This lecture aims to provide a glance about the available scientific evidence related to the physical properties of hydraulic calcium silicate dental cements, relating these properties to the clinical performance. Hydraulic calcium silicate cements represent a family of materials that sets in the presence of water. Their setting reaction is basically a hydration reaction that produces a matrix of calcium silicate hydrate and ion-rich solution principally composed of calcium hydroxide. Despite the simple description, this process is much complex that involves more interfering factors, which may affect the behaviour of the hydrating cement. This grants HCSCs an interactive nature allowing them to exchange ions and fluids with the surrounding environment, and adjacent substrates such as dentine. Hence, the cements’ properties are dictated by the environment that is related to the clinical conditions under which we apply these cements. The evidence discussed in this lecture is based on a comprehensive review of the scientific literature related to the physico-chemical properties of these cements. This will be discussed along with the interfacial properties of HCSCs with dentine paving the way for further discussion about the biological and clinical evaluation of these cements in the following lectures of this symposium.