Lassila Lv

Bone tissue responses to glass fiber‐reinforced composite implants – a histomorphometric study

OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to evaluate bone-to-implant contact (BIC) and the osteoconductive capacity of bioactive fiber-reinforced composite implant (FRC) in vivo. MATERIAL AND METHODS Threaded sand-blasted FRC implants and threaded FRC implants with bioactive glass (BAG) were fabricated for the study. Titanium implants were used as a reference. Eighteen implants (diameter 4.1 mm, length 10 mm) were implanted in the tibia of six pigs using the press-fit technique. The animals were sacrificed after 4 and 12 weeks. Histomorphometric and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analyses were performed to characterize BIC. RESULTS In general, the highest values of BIC were measured in FRC-BAG implants, followed by FRC and Ti implants. At 4 weeks, the BIC was 33% for threaded FRC-BAG, 27% for FRC and 19% for Ti. At 12 weeks, BIC was 47% for threaded FRC-BAG, 40% for FRC and 42% for Ti. Four weeks after implantation, all the implants appeared biologically fixed by a newly formed woven bone arranged in the thin bone trabeculae filling the gap between the implant and the bone of the recipient site. Twelve weeks after implantation, the thickness of the woven bone trabeculae had increased, especially around the FRC-BAG implants. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that the FRC implant is biocompatible in bone. The biological behavior of FRC was comparable to that of Ti after 4 and 12 weeks of implantation. Furthermore, the addition of BAG to the FRC implant increased peri-implant osteogenesis and bone maturation.

Incremental layers bonding of silorane composite: The initial bonding properties

OBJECTIVES Lack of oxygen inhibition layer of silorane composite with cationic polymerization raises the question of the bonding of incremental layers of the composite. This study aimed to evaluate the bond strength of the silorane composite layers. METHODS Fresh, 20 s, 5 min aged silorane composite (Silorane, 3M-ESPE) was used as substrate to adhere new silorane composite. For a comparison, dimethacrylate-based composite resin (Z250, 3M-ESPE) was adhered to the silorane composite with or without intermediate adhesive resin. As a control, dimethacrylate composite with oxygen inhibition layer was attached to fresh dimethacrylate composite. The bonded specimens (n=12/group) were water stored for 24 h. The shear bond strengths (SBS) were measured with a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/min. Failure modes were assessed. Data were analysed by ANOVA, Tukeys post hoc tests and Chi-square tests (p=0.05). RESULTS Dimethacrylate-dimethacrylate composite resin combination showed the highest mean SBS (33.0 MPa) values with no adhesive failures. Fresh silorane-silorane SBS was slightly lower (26.7 MPa) and was further decreased by aging the substrate for 20s (25.4 MPa) and 5 min (22.4 MPa). The percent of adhesive failures increased from 25% to 75%, respectively. The failure modes were significantly different (Chi-square, p<0.001). Silorane-dimethacrylate composite showed the lowest (4.0 MPa) SBS among the groups, which was increased significantly by use of phosphate-methacrylate-based intermediate resin (p<0.05). CONCLUSION In order to bond dimethacrylate composite to silorane composite, a phosphate-methacrylate-based intermediate resin is required. The silorane composite showed slightly lower incremental bonding properties than conventional dimethacrylate composites.

Osseointegration of fiber-reinforced composite implants: Histological and ultrastructural observations

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone tissue response to fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) in comparison with titanium (Ti) implants after 12 weeks of implantation in cancellous bone using histomorphometric and ultrastructural analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty grit-blasted cylindrical FRC implants with BisGMA-TEGDMA polymer matrix were fabricated and divided into three groups: (1) 60s light-cured FRC (FRC-L group), (2) 24h polymerized FRC (FRC group), and (3) bioactive glass FRC (FRC-BAG group). Titanium implants were used as a control group. The surface analyses were performed with scanning electron microscopy and 3D SEM. The bone-implant contact (BIC) and bone area (BA) were determined using histomorphometry and SEM. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on Focused Ion Beam prepared samples of the intact bone-implant interface. RESULTS The FRC, FRC-BAG and Ti implants were integrated into host bone. In contrast, FRC-L implants had a consistent fibrous capsule around the circumference of the entire implant separating the implant from direct bone contact. The highest values of BIC were obtained with FRC-BAG (58±11%) and Ti implants (54±13%), followed by FRC implants (48±10%), but no significant differences in BIC or BA were observed (p=0.07, p=0.06, respectively). TEM images showed a direct contact between nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite of bone and both FRC and FRC-BAG surfaces. CONCLUSION Fiber-reinforced composite implants are capable of establishing a close bone contact comparable with the osseointegration of titanium implants having similar surface roughness.

Fiber-reinforced Composite Fixed Dental Prostheses with Various Pontics

PURPOSE To evaluate the load-bearing capacities of fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) fixed dental prostheses (FDP) with pontics of various materials and thicknesses. MATERIALS AND METHODS Inlay preparations for retaining FDPs were made in a polymer phantom model. Seventy-two FDPs with frameworks made of continuous unidirectional glass fibers (everStick C&B) were fabricated. Three different pontic materials were used: glass ceramics, polymer denture teeth, and composite resin. The FDPs were divided into 3 categories based on the occlusal thicknesses of the pontics (2.5 mm, 3.2 mm, and 4.0 mm). The frameworks vertical positioning varied respectively. Each pontic material category contained 3 groups (n = 8/group). In group 1, pontics were fabricated conventionally with composite resin (G-ӕnial, GC) with one additional transversal fiber reinforcement. In group 2, the pontics were polymer denture teeth (Heraeus- Kulzer). Group 3 had an IPS-Empress CAD pontic (Ivoclar Vivadent) milled using a Cerec CAD/CAM unit. Groups 1 and 2 served as controls. Each FDP was statically loaded from the pontic until initial fracture (IF) and final fracture (FF). Initial-fracture data were collected from the load-deflection graph. RESULTS ANOVA indicated statistically significant differences between the materials and occlusal thicknesses (p < 0.001). Quadratic analysis demonstrated the highest correlation between the thickness of the pontic and IF and FF values with ceramic pontics (IF: p < 0.001; R2 = 0.880; FF: p < 0.001; R2 = 0.953). CONCLUSION By increasing the occlusal thickness of the pontic, the load-bearing capacity of the FRC FDPs may be increased. The highest load-bearing capacity was obtained with 4.0 mm thickness in the ceramic pontic. However, with thinner pontics, polymer denture teeth and composite pontics resulted in higher load-bearing values.

Effect of Primers and Resins on the Shear Bond Strength of Resin Composite to Zirconia

Objective. To evaluate the effects of various surface conditioning methods and agents. Methods. The intaglio zirconia substrates were air particle abraded with Al2O3 (O 50 μm) for 10 s. An air pressure of 450 kPa and a nozzle distance of 10 mm were used. Surface conditioning by groups: A = silane coupling agent