original article

J. Stomat. Occ. Med. (2012) 5:6469

DOI 10.1007/s12548-012-0040-0

Effect of mouth rinses on the hardness of three toothcolored restorative materials

An in vitro study
BhartiLamba, K. C.Ponnappa, AbhayLamba
Received: 6 December 2011 / Accepted: 13 February 2012 / Published online: 14 March 2012
Springer-Verlag 2012

Abstract
Background Tooth-colored restorative materials, such
as composite resins, glass-ionomer cements or compomers are routinely used for tooth restoration. Alcohol is
used in mouth rinses as a solvent, taste enhancer and an
antiseptic agent but studies have shown it to be directly
related to softening of composite resin restorations.
Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in
the hardness of glass-ionomer cement, compomer and
composite resin when exposed to six varieties of mouth
rinses at intervals of 1h, 1 day, 7 days and 14 days.
Materials and methods The tooth-colored restorative
materials investigated in this study were ChemFlex (MI),
EsthetX (M2) and Dyract (M3). A total of 147 specimens
were prepared, 49 from each restorative material. Over
a period of 14 days the samples were immersed twice
daily for 2 min in 15 ml of the respective mouth rinse.
After each immersion, the specimens were washed and
stored in artificial saliva. A Vickers hardness number
(VHN) was obtained from the readings at 1 h, 1 day, 7
days and 14 days after the first immersion.
Statistical analysis The average VHN values for each
day for all materials were analyzed for significant differences using ANOVA and F-test to investigate the VHN
differences between storage time and medium.
Results Mouth rinses significantly softened the hardness of restorative materials. The properties of composite
resin were found to be affected more by the mouth rinses than that of compomer and glass-ionomer cement.

B.Lamba()
Hitkarini Dental College & Hospital,
Dumna Road, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
e-mail: bhartilamba@rediffmail.com
K. C. Ponnappa
Pacific Dental College & Hospital,
Debari, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
A.Lamba
Faridabad Dental Care Centre, Faridabad, Haryana, India

64

Conclusions This study showed that the higher the

content of alcohol in the mouth rinse the more adverse
the effects on the hardness of restoratives.
Keywords: Composite, Glass-ionomer cement, Compomer, Mouth rinses, Microhardness, Tooth-colored
restoratives

Introduction
Mouth rinses are effective for controlling and reducing
plaque and gingivitis and are often used. Dentists have
also become increasingly interested in the potential of
the antimicrobial action of mouth rinses in topical relief
measures for oral lesions. The longevity and durability of
aesthetic restorative materials are highly influenced by
the complexity of the oral environment and this has to
be kept in mind when selecting a restorative material. In
vivo chemical degradation of restorative surfaces cannot
be attributed to a single chemical but is the result of complex reactions among different chemicals. Thus, there
may be negative effects of mouth rinses on the restorative
materials as they combine different solutions (e.g. water
and alcohol) [1]. Moreover, variations of temperature, pH
and different chemicals could also negatively affect these
materials [2, 3]. Studies have found that prolonged use
of mouth rinses causes deterioration of the properties of
restorative materials [1, 4].
Alcohol is used in mouth rinses as a solvent, taste
enhancer and an antiseptic agent. There are reports in
the literature showing that the percentage of alcohol in
mouth rinses may be directly related to softening effects
on composite resin restorations [5].
Maintaining dental restorations in the mouth is also
important for oral health. Tooth-colored restorations,
such as composite resins, glass-ionomer cements or fissure sealants require meticulous maintenance. One of
the most important physical properties of restorative filling materials is surface hardness, which correlates well

Effect of mouth rinses on the hardness of three tooth-colored restorative materials