the effect of drinks and temperature on the staining of resin composites coated with surface sealants

statement of problem: surface staining of resin composite by dietary factors may be modified by the placement of a low-viscosity surface sealant aimed at reducing surface voids and defects occurring after light-curing and polishing. objectives: the aim of this study was to investigate the staining effect of various drinks and temperatures on the surface sealant (fortify plus™) sealed on a nano-filled resin composite (supreme xte™) after artificial aging at different temperatures. materials and methods: surface sealant was applied on one surface of forty resin composite discs (10×2 mm). five discs each were immersed in test solutions of black cola, commercial dark grape juice, coffee and distilled water (negative control). discs were either placed at 4°c (20 discs) or 37°c (20 discs) and the colour difference (δe) was calculated based on the colour coordinates at 0 (baseline), 7, 14 and 28 days of staining treatment. two-factor with replication analysis was carried out with anova. results: the results showed significant discolouration after 28 days immersion in coffee (p<0.001) and grape juice group (p<0.001). surface sealant significantly affected colour changes in coffee and grape juice group (p=0.002). higher temperatures in coffee and grape juice also significantly increased the effect of staining (p<0.001). conclusions: surface sealant was able to reduce discolouration in the grape juice group only. a lower temperature of 4°c caused less staining in coffee and grape juice groups as compared to the 37°c corresponding test groups. prolonged immersion time significantly increased discolouration in coffee and grape juice groups.