ABSTRACT
The study aims to analyze the compressive strength, pH, and surface properties of mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA), which can be used as a pulp capping and root canal filling material. The tests were performed after immersing premixed types of MTA for seven days into three different solutions: simulated body fluid (SBF), saline, and distilled water (DW). A universal testing machine was used to measure the compressive strength after one and seven days of immersion. The un-immersed MTA was used as the control. To investigate the pH variation, MTA specimens were immersed in each solution and the pH was measured using a pH meter after 3, 6, 12, 24, 72, and 168 h. Changes on the MTA surface were also observed by SEM-EDS after seven days of immersion. Moreover, statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA, Tukey's post-hoc test, and independent sample t-test. All experimental groups showed significantly higher compressive strengths compared to the control group (p0.05). As the immersion time increased, the pH increased among all the groups, and the pH of samples immersed in saline and DW was significantly higher than that in SBF. The MTA surface immersed in each solution for seven days showed precipitates which mainly composed of Ca and Zr ions. Therefore, the type of contact solution does not significantly affect the compressive strength of MTA, but it significantly influences both the pH and surface condition