Brian W. Darvell

Effects of strontium in modified biomaterials

Strontium (Sr) plays a special role in bone remodelling, being associated with both the stimulation of bone formation and a reduction in bone resorption. Thus, the modification of biomaterials by partial or full substitution by Sr is expected to increase both bioactivity and biocompatibility. However, such effects have to be studied individually. Although no phase transition was found in Sr-substituted hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA), Sr-containing calcium silicate (Sr-CS) or Sr-containing borosilicate (Sr-BS), their biological performance was substantially affected by changes in the physico-chemical properties and Sr content of the materials. Three distinct outcomes were found for the presence of Sr: (1) increased HA solubility; (2) no significant effect on the degradation rate of CS; (3) apparent inhibition of the otherwise rapid degradation of BS. In each case the released Sr affected osteoblast proliferation and alkaline phosphatase activity, with clear evidence that an optimum Sr dose exists. Such chemical and biological variations must be disentangled for the behaviour to be properly understood and materials design to be advanced.

Apatite-formation ability--predictor of "bioactivity"?

The ability to trigger the formation of apatite from a supersaturated solution has been widely used to imply the bioactivity of an implant in vivo. However, the method itself may provide at best incomplete information, primarily because it is determined only by solution supersaturation, irrespective of biological processes. Bone regeneration is triggered mainly by the vitality of osteoblasts, and regulated by the expression of growth factors such as oestrogen, parathyroid hormone and bone morphogenetic proteins, while ions or other species released from an implant may affect the expression of such growth factors, and so bone resorption or formation. The misinterpretation of the outcome of such tests must result in misunderstanding of the true effects and behaviour of materials intended for use in embedded biological contexts. Thus, the underlying and motivating hypothesis needs to be carefully reconsidered, along with the results of all work founded on the concept. It would seem that it is only viable to test using osteoblasts, whether in vivo or in vitro.

Materials science for dentistry

Mechanical testing Gypsum materials Polymers Rheology Acrylic Resin restorative materials Flexible impression materials Composition and phase diagrams Cements and liners Surfaces Metals I: structure Metals II: constitution Corrosion Silver Amalgam Mixing Waxes Casting investments Casting Casting alloys Cutting, abrasion and polishing Steel and cermet Soldering and welding Mechanics Light and colour Porcelain Radiography More polymers More metals More mechanical testing.

Synthesis and characterization of hydroxyapatite whiskers by hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation using acetamide

Long and uniform HA whiskers with high crystallinity, controlled morphology and high aspect ratio were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation using acetamide. Compared with the additive urea, which is commonly used to raise the pH to drive nucleation and growth of HA crystals, acetamide has a low hydrolysis rate under the required hydrothermal conditions. This allows better and easier control, giving rise to rapid growth of whiskers at a low supersaturation. Whisker length and width were in turn determined by solution conditions, including the concentration of Ca and PO(4). Whiskers had a mean length of 60-116 microm and an aspect ratio of 68-103 for starting solutions containing 42-84 mmolL(-1) Ca and 25-50 mmolL(-1) PO(4) with a fixed Ca/P ratio of 1.67. Such whiskers are favourable for their improved bone bonding and bioactivity, as well as their mechanical properties. Whiskers were slightly Ca-deficient with Ca/P=1.60-1.65, with the preferred direction of growth along the c-axis. Variation of acetamide concentration did not affect the constitution, the crystallinity or the crystal growth habit.

Mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite whisker-reinforced bis-GMA-based resin composites

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the reinforcement efficacy of hydroxyapatite (HA) whiskers in bis-GMA-based dental restorative composites and determine the effect of volume fraction on the mechanical properties. METHODS Silanized HA whiskers and nano-scale powder were mixed in various proportions with bis-phenol A-glycidyl methacrylate (bis-GMA)-based polymer pastes. Equal parts of initiator and accelerator pastes were then mixed by hand. After curing at 25 ± 2 °C and storage in distilled water at 37 °C for 24h, elastic modulus, fracture strength and work-to-failure in three-point bending, fracture toughness using a notchless triangular prism fracture method, and Vickers hardness were determined. Data were examined by means of one-way analysis of variance and linear regression. RESULTS Reinforcing efficacy was significantly dependent on filler morphology. Whiskers had good dispersibility and wettability with bis-GMA-based polymer, conferring good reinforcement and toughening, significantly better than did the HA nano-scale powder. SIGNIFICANCE HA whiskers provided better mechanical properties in bis-GMA-based composites compared with the nano-scale powder. Such whisker-reinforced materials may be beneficial compared with currently used dental restorative materials.

Morphology and structural characteristics of hydroxyapatite whiskers: Effect of the initial Ca concentration, Ca/P ratio and pH

Hydrothermal homogeneous precipitation combines the best characteristics of the hydrothermal and homogeneous precipitation methods, and allows long and uniform hydroxyapatite (HA) whiskers, with a high aspect ratio and high crystallinity, to be obtained. Their morphology and structural characteristics depend on the initial Ca/P ratio (iCa/P) and pH (ipH), as well as the initial calcium concentration (i[Ca]). Variation in these values had no effect on constitution, which was crystallographically indistinguishable from HA. Ca/P ratio steadily improved with increases in both ipH and iCa/P, but was independent of i[Ca]. Uniform whiskers were obtained at high iCa/P and low ipH, or at high ipH and low iCa/P. Whiskers with a mean length of 96-140 μm and an aspect ratio of 96-136 were obtained at ipH=2-3 and iCa/P=1.67-2. At a low ipH and low iCa/P, irregular plate-like particles and branch-like whiskers were formed, while a high ipH favoured the formation of lath-like HA at high iCa/P. Preferred growth along the c-axis was more intense at higher iCa/P and ipH as well as at low i[Ca]. However, under these conditions, the crystal growth habit was also changed, showing preferred growth along both the c- and a-axes. The increase in whisker width over the general value obtained was abrupt at low i[Ca] and high iCa/P.

Influence of surface treatment on the resin-bonding of zirconia

OBJECTIVE To compare the effect of various surface treatments on the bonding of luting resin cements to zirconia under four-point bending. METHODS Bar specimens (n = 200) (2 mm × 5 mm × 25 mm) were prepared from zirconia blocks (VITA In-Ceram YZ, Vita Zahnfabrik) with the cementation surface (2 mm × 5 mm) of groups of 40 treated in one of five ways: airborne particle abrasion with 50μm Al2O3 (GB), zirconia primer (Z-Prime Plus, Bisco) (Z), glaze ceramic (Crystall.Glaze spray, Ivoclar Vivadent) + hydrofluoric acid (GHF), fusion glass-ceramic (Crystall.Connect, Ivoclar Vivadent) (CC), or left untreated as control (C). Within each treatment, bars were cleaned ultrasonically for 15 min in ethanol and then deionized water before bonding in pairs with one of two luting resins: Panavia F 2.0, (Kuraray) (P); RelyX U-200 (3M/Espe) (R), to form 10 test specimens for each treatment and lute combination. Mechanical tests were performed and bond strengths (MPa) were subject, after log transformation, to analysis of variance, Shapiro-Wilk and Holm-Sidak tests; also log-linear contingency analysis of failure mode distribution; all with α = 0.05. Fracture surfaces were examined under light and scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS While the effect of surface treatment was significant (p = 1.27 × 10(-9)), there was no detected effect due to resin (p = 0.829). All treatments except CC (30.1 MPa ×/÷ 1.44)* were significantly better than the untreated control (24.8 MPa ×/÷ 1.35) (p = 3.28 × 10(-9)). While the effect of GB - which gave the highest mean strength (50.5 MPa ×/÷ 1.29) - was not distinguishable from that of GHF (39.9 MPa ×/÷ 1.29) (p = 0.082), it was significantly better than treatment with either CC or Z (33.1 MPa ×/÷ 1.48) (p < 0.05). (* After log transformation for analysis and back; asymmetric error bounds as s.d. in log values.) SIGNIFICANCE The novel test method design, which has good discriminatory power, confirmed the value of gritblasting as a simple and effective treatment with low operator hazard. It gave the highest bond strengths regardless of the cement type. Glaze layer application followed by hydrofluoric acid-etching on zirconia before cementation might be viable for adhesive zirconia cementation, but represents a much greater hazard as well as having problems with thickness control.

Failure and behavior in water of hydroxyapatite whisker-reinforced bis-GMA-based resin composites

Failure mode under Hertzian indentation and the behavior on immersion in water of bis-GMA-based composites with HA whiskers or nanoscopic HA powder as filler were evaluated. Failure load decreased with increase in filler loading, but the decrease was smaller for whiskers, which showed a different failure mode both macroscopically and microscopically. Particle-filled composites failed mainly by radial cracking and cone cracking, with some plastic deformation at low filler loading, with fracture into irregular segments. For whisker-filled materials, crack propagation was inhibited by the well-dispersed whiskers by the usual toughening mechanisms; cone cracking was the dominant failure mode, at higher loads than for the powder, and fracture was incomplete. The filler reduced both water-uptake and elution of soluble materials, as expected, but both were lower for the whisker-filled material. Such composites might form the basis of viable materials for dental load-bearing restorations and other applications.

Effect of elastic modulus mismatch on failure behaviour of glass ionomer cement under Hertzian indentation

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of the substrate: coating elastic modulus ratio on the failure behaviour of glass ionomer cement (GIC) under Hertzian indentation. METHODS GIC (Amalgomer CR, Advanced Healthcare, Tonbridge, Kent, UK) discs, 2 mm thick and 10 mm diameter, were randomly divided into 11 groups, 10-22 specimens for each group, and stored at 37 °C in artificial saliva for 7 days. Discs were tested resting freely on 11 substrate materials at 23 °C in air by loading centrally through a 20 mm diameter hard steel ball at a crosshead speed of 0.2 mm/min. The elastic moduli of the substrates (E(s)) and the coating GIC (E(c)) were first measured with a method similar to that of the Hertzian indentation, except for the three harder materials: amalgam, Al6061 and stainless steel 304. The failure load at the first crack was recorded with the aid of acoustic emission detection. Fracture surfaces were observed by SEM. RESULTS E(s) values ranged from 0.09 to 210 GPa; E(c) was 7.7 GPa. Failure load generally increased with E(s) at first and then became relatively stable; the turning point occurred for E(s)/E(c)=1. Bottom surface-initiated radial cracking was the principal failure mode on softer substrates (E(s)/E(c)<1), while top surface conical cracking usually occurred on harder substrates (E(s)/E(c)≥1). CONCLUSION The elastic modulus ratio, substrate: coating, is a controlling factor for both the failure mode and load for the coating material under Hertzian indentation.

Determination of the flexural modulus of elasticity of orthodontic archwires

OBJECTIVE To design a protocol for the determination of the flexural modulus of elasticity of wire with high accuracy and precision. METHODS Cantilever bending was used at long span and low loads, using a laser displacement sensor. Various wires were tested for proof-of-concept: stainless steel, Elgiloy, Wiptam and a gold alloy, with primary attention being paid to the source and magnitude of errors. RESULTS The moduli of elasticity were determined with a median relative error of approximately 0.15%, with a worst case of 0.56%, taking into account all measurement errors. The precision was such as to permit distinctions between the values for the wires of different thermomechanical history. SIGNIFICANCE The determination of the elastic modulus of wires may be made with good precision using cantilever bending providing attention is given to all sources of error. These results represent the most reliable measures of modulus of elasticity of orthodontic archwires to date.