Assessment of a highly-filled flowable composite for the repair of indirect composites.

PURPOSE: To compare the shear-bond-strength (SBS) of a highly-filled-flowable composite (HFFC) and a paste-type composite for indirect composite repair and to evaluate the effect of different surface treatments (ST), concerning the composite repair protocol. METHODS: Eighty-four 5 × 5 × 2 mm cylindrical specimens were prepared using Gradia Plus and SR Nexco indirect composite materials. The samples were thermocycled 5,000 times. According to the ST, the samples were divided into three groups (control, bur, and air-abrasion). After ST, the sample subgroups were divided into two sub-groups according to the repair material: paste-type composite and HFFC (n = 7). Another 5,000 cycles of aging were performed. SBS values were measured with a universal testing machine (Shimadzu, Japan). Shapiro-Wilk, 3-way ANOVA, and Tukey HSD test were used to evaluate data (P < 0.05). RESULTS: ST was considered significant for SBS (P < 0.001). The mean values were (13.9 ± 5.7), (17.0 ± 6.4), (20.4 ± 4.9) MPa for the control, bur and phosphoric acid, and air-abrasion groups, respectively. The surface treatment and repair material interaction was considered significant for SBS (P = 0.044). The highest mean bond strength (24.5 ± 4.5 MPa) was observed for the interaction of SR Nexco, air-abrasion ST, and HFFC repair. CONCLUSION: Repairing with HFFC following air abrasion might enhance the SBS for indirect composite restorations.

Accuracy of an intraoral scanner with near-infrared imaging feature in detection of interproximal caries of permanent teeth: An in vivo validation.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of an intraoral scanner with near-infrared imaging (NIRI) feature in the diagnosis of interproximal caries and to compare it with the visual-tactile method (VTM), bitewing radiography (BWR), and panoramic radiography (PR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six hundred thirty-nine interproximal surfaces (mesial-distal) of posterior teeth from 22 volunteers were examined. Results were scored by VTM, BWR, PR, and NIRI. Lesions were scored as 0 for no-caries, 1 for early-enamel lesion (EEL), and 2 for lesions involving dentino-enamel junction (DEJ). McNemar, Kappa, and Fleis Kappa tests were used to evaluate the agreement levels. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to determine the matching rates after validation. RESULTS: A good level of agreement was observed between examination methods (Ƙ = 0.613; p < 0.001). In pairwise comparisons, a moderate agreement was seen between all the methods for lesions with DEJ involvement, while a statistically good agreement was observed between BWR and NIRI (Ƙ = 0.675; p < 0.001). As a result of validation, the accuracy of NIRI for molars was considered 85.2% and 75.7% for premolars in EELs, 85.2% for molars, and 70% for premolars regarding the lesions involving DEJ. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoral scanners with the NIRI feature may be used for diagnosing interproximal caries, especially for permanent molars. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Early detection of proximal caries is one of the most essential topics forming the basis of preventive dentistry. This study investigates a caries diagnostic tool integrated into intraoral scanners to diagnose interproximal caries. A caries diagnostic tool integrated into an intraoral scanner may prevent the harmful effects of ionizing radiation in early caries diagnosis and may improve the patient's oral health status.