Pure graphene in the form of few-layer graphene (FLG) - 1 to 6 layers - is biocompatible and non-cytotoxic. This makes FLG an ideal material to incorporate into dental polymers to increase their strength and durability. It is well known that graphene has high mechanical strength and has been shown to enhance the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of biomaterials. However, for commerci...

Methacrylic derivatives of bile acids have been synthesized for use as monomers in dental composites. Polymeric dental materials are known to leach cytotoxic unreacted monomers and degradation products. In this study, the in vitro cytotoxicity of bile acids and their derivatives towards 3T3 fibroblasts has been evaluated by colorimetric MTT assay and compared with that of the common dental mono...

What are stem cells? As dentists, why should we be concerned with stem cells? How would stem cells change dental practice? Is it possible to grow a tooth or TMJ with stem cells? This article summarizes the latest stem cell research and development for dental, oral and craniofacial applications. Stem cell research and development will, over time, transform dental practice in a magnitude far grea...

The fracture resistance (R-curve behaviour) of two commercial dental composites (Filtek Z350(®) and Concept Advanced(®)) were studied using Double Cantilever Beam sandwich specimens loaded with pure bending moments to obtain stable crack growth. The experiments were conducted in an environmental scanning electron microscope to (a) accurately measure the applied energy-release rate for crack ini...

OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study was to evaluate the wear characteristics of fiber-reinforced dental composites. Variables under investigation include the fiber weight percent added to the matrix as well as fiber length. METHODS Dental specimens with glass fiber content of 2, 5.1, 5.7, and 7.6 wt% with fiber length of either 1.5 or 3 mm, were prepared by mixing an activated dental r...

It is generally accepted that in vitro cell material interaction is a useful criterion in the evaluation of dental material biocompatibility. The objective of this study was to use 3D CLSM time lapse confocal imaging to assess the in vitro biocompatibility of dental composites. This method provides an accurate and sensitive indication of viable cell rate in contact with dental composite extract...

The morphological and compositional characterization of the filler particles in selected dental composites has been accomplished by a combination of backscattered elec tron imaging, digital imaging , energy dispersive X-ray analysis and thermogravimetry. Backscattered electron images provide excellent composition contrast between the filler and the matrix in this analysis . Qualitative energy d...

Undecylenic acid (UA), known as antifungal agent, still cannot be used to efficiently modify commercial dental materials in such a way that this affects Candida. Actually, issues with Candida infections and fungal resistance compromise the use of Poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) as dental material. The challenge remains to turn PMMA into an antifugal material, which can ideally affect both sess...

OBJECTIVES To assess the knowledge of Jordanian dentists toward phase down of dental amalgam as recommended by the Minamata Convention, and their training and competency in placing posterior composites.  Methods: This study was conducted through structured questionnaire interviews with randomly selected cohort of dentists in Jordan between March 2015 and June 2015. Out of 230 dentists who were ...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare the cytotoxic effects of various dental composites polymerized with two different curing units. METHODS Disc-shaped test samples of composites Filtek Z250, Filtek A110, Filtek P60, Filtek Supreme, and SDI Rok were polymerized using one quartz tungsten halogen (QTH) and one light emitting diode (LED) light curing unit (LCU), namely Optilux 501 (Q...