Cutting efficiency of different dental materials utilized in an air abrasion system
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of the present study was to test cutting efficiency of different materials against conventional alumina in an air abrasion system.
Materials and Methods: The powder samples were divided into three groups: Group 1 - alumina (control), Group 2 - 45S5 bioactive glass, and Group 3 - hydroxyapatite. 30 microscope glass slides of 0.5 mm thickness were used as an alternative of human enamel and were also divided randomly into these three groups. The time taken by the abrasive particles to cut a hole through the microscope glass slide was recorded with a stop watch. In addition, morphology of the particles was observed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A t-test was used to compare the times taken to cut a hole through the microscope glass slides, and the level of significance was set at P < 0.05.
Results: The mean time taken to cut a hole through the microscope glass slide was 2.96 s and 23.01s for Groups 1 and 2, respectively, whereas powder of Group 3 did not cut after 120 s. The differences between cutting times of Groups 1 and 2 were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The SEM micrographs revealed coarse angular shape for particles of Groups 1 and 2 but Group 3 particles were with round ends and presence of smaller particles was also observed in Groups 2 and 3.
Conclusion: The alumina particles demonstrated excellent cutting efficiency followed by 45S5 particles. The use of bioactive glass particles should be encouraged for cutting purposes whenever a shortage of time for practitioners is not a concern.
Keywords:
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).