influence of incorporating fluoroapatite nanobioceramic on the compressive strength and bioactivity of glass ionomer cement

statement of problem: in order to increase the performance of glass ionomer cement, it is reinforced with metal powders, short fibers, bioceramics and other materials. fluoroapatite (ca10 (po4 )6 f2 ) is found in dental enamel and is usually used in dental materials due to its good chemical and physical properties. objectives: in this study, the effects of the addition of synthesized fluoroapatite nanoceramic on the compressive strength and bioactivity of glass ionomer cement were investigated. materials and methods: the synthesized fluoroapatite nanoceramic particles (~  70  nm)  were  incorporated  into  as-prepared  glass  ionomer  powder  and were characterized using x-ray diffraction (xrd), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir) and scanning electron microscopy (sem). moreover, the compressive strength values of the modified glass ionomer cements with 0, 1, 3 and 5 wt% of fluoroapatite were evaluated. results:   results  showed  that  glass  ionomer  cement  containing  3  wt% fluoroapatite nanoparticles exhibited the highest compressive strength (102.6 ± 4) compared to the other groups, including control group. furthermore, ftir and sem investigations indicated that after soaking the glass ionomer cement- 3 wt% fluoroapatite composite in the simulated body fluid solution, the intensity of o-h, p-o and c-o absorption bands increased as a result of the formation of apatite layer on the surface of the sample, and the rather flat and homogeneous surface of the cement became more porous and inhomogeneous. conclusions: addition of synthesized nano-fluoroapatite to as-prepared glass ionomer cement enhanced the compressive strength as well as nucleation of the calcium phosphate layer on the surface of the composite. this makes it a good candidate for dentistry and orthopedic applications.