A novel zirconia fibre-reinforced resin composite for dental use

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare some biomechanical properties such as fracture toughness, Vickers hardness and compressive strength of an experimental fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) filled with various percentages (0 wt%, 1 wt%, 3 wt%, and 5 wt%) of zirconia (ZrO2) fibres.

Materials and methods: A resin matrix (78.4 wt% bis-GMA, 19.6 wt% MMA, 1-wt% CEMA and 1 wt% CQ) with different percentages of silanized zirconia fibres (0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% by weight of the resin matrix) was prepared. Silanization was carried out using an experimental silane blend (0.5 vol% bis-1,2-(triethoxysilyl)ethane+1.0 vol% 3-acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane in ethanol, at pH 4.0). Each group of specimens was stored in two conditions - either at room temperature for one day or water storage at 37 °C for 7 days. They were randomly divided into study groups according to the test method. For fracture toughness, a notchless triangular prism (NTP) test (n=6) was undertaken. Hardness values (n=6) were measured by using a Vickers hardness testing machine and compressive strength (n=6) was tested. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were taken at the fracture sites after fracture toughness test. The data were analysed by 1-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests (α=0.05).

Results: The ANOVA test revealed that the experimental FRCs with 1 wt% and 3 wt% zirconia fibres showed statistically significant differences in Vickers hardness at dry condition and NTP fracture toughness after 7-day water storage, respectively. However, compressive strength of experimental groups exhibited no significant difference (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Silanized zirconia fibres reinforcement in resin is a novel FRC which have shown promising biomechanical properties.