Profundidade de polimerização de uma resina bulk fill fluida após adição de xilitol

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the depth of cure at different thicknesses of the Tetric® NFlow Bulk Fill composite resin with the addition of xylitol at different concentrations. Materials and Methods: The Tetric™ N-Flow Bulk Fill resin was mixed with xylitol concentrations (0% [Control], 2.5%, and 5% g/g) by manual spatulation for 1 minute in a portable darkroom. Cylindrical samples were prepared in polymethyl methacrylate molds with diameters of 5 mm and thicknesses of 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, and 4 mm at the proposed xylitol concentrations, totaling 12 groups (n=3), photoactivated for 10 seconds, and stored at 37°C for 24 hours. The specimens were subjected to Vickers microhardness testing, and the depth of cure was obtained by calculating the base/top ratio. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare different thicknesses at the same concentration and different concentrations at the same thickness (p<0,05) using BioEstat 5.3 software. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between different thicknesses at the same concentration, as well as between different concentrations at the same thickness (p=1,000). All specimens exhibited adequate depth of cure (hardness ratio ≥80%), except for the samples with 4 mm thickness containing 2.5% and 5% xylitol, which showed average hardness ratios of 79% and 74%, respectively. Conclusion: Under the conditions of this study, it can be concluded that the addition of xylitol to a fluid bulk fill resin can affect the depth of cure at 4 mm.