ABSTRACT
Statement of the Problem: In clinical situations, Calcium-Enriched Mixture [CEM] comes into direct contact or even mixes with blood during or after placement
Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of blood contamination on the compressive strength of CEM
Materials and Method: Three experimental groups were included in this study. In the first group, CEM was mixed with distilled water and was exposed to normal saline [control group]. In the second group, CEM cement was mixed with distilled water and then was exposed to blood. In the third group, CEM was mixed with and exposed to blood. Nine custom-made two-part split Plexiglas molds with five holes were used to form CEM samples for compressive strength testing [15 samples in each group]. After 7 days of incubation, compressive bond strength testing was performed using a universal testing machine. Data were statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test with a significance level of p< 0.05
Results: Nine samples from group 3 were fractured during removal from the molds; the other six blocks had some cracks on their surfaces. Therefore, a compressive strength measurement was not obtainable for this group. No statistically significant difference was found between groups 1 and 2 [p> 0.05]
Conclusion: It can be concluded that exposure to blood does not adversely affect the compressive strength of CEM, but incorporation of blood makes the cement very brittle