Biocompatibility of a new dentine substitute: Biodentine™ versus MTA^®

Methods: Considering the clinical potential of such materials, there is a need to assess their biocompatibility using bone cell culture. The study focused on in vitro biocompatibility to MG63 osteoblast-like cells using the direct contact model. Three endpoints were investigated: (i) cell morphology by SEM microscopy examination, (ii) cell viability by MTT assay (iii) and protein amount quantification by the Bradford assay. Data was reported as mean standard deviation (±SD) and statistical significance was accepted at p <0.05 using the Anova 2 test.

Results: SEM observations showed a good cell attachment and proliferation on both material surfaces. Cells appeared healthy and confluent to cover the whole cement surfaces. The MTT result for Biodentine™ was similar to that of MTA^®, known to be biocompatible. Biodentine™ and MTA^® induced a similar slight decrease in metabolic activity. Cell viability ranged from 65.3% to 93.1% depending on the material used and on the incubation period. An enhancement of the protein amount was observed in the presence of both tested samples (from day 1 to day 3). Biodentine™ is as well tolerated as MTA^®in these toxicity assays.

Conclusions: Since biocompatibility with pulp cells is a prerequisite in restorative indications, Biodentine™‘s biocompatibility with pulp cells has already been displayed by several authors. The evaluation of the Biodentine™ behavior in contact with bone cells was also required. The biocompatibility of the new dentine substitute Biodentine™ is as good as the reference in endodontics: MTA^®. This study is able to validate the clinical endodontic indications of Biodentine™.