Novel Dental Composite Material Reinforced With Silane Functionalized Microsized Gypsum Filler Particles

Gypsum has been recognized as acceptable for human consumption as a dietary source of calcium. During contact with teeth, it releases Ca2+ ions needed for remineralization of tooth tissue, and therefore based on the concept of remineralization, gypsum may be a strategic additive for dental restorative materials. Hence, the objective of this study was to develop and characterize a novel dental material reinforced with different weight fraction of micro sized gypsum filler particle. A novel composite material was fabricated using conventional resin matrix consisting of Bisphenol-A glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), camphorquinone (CQ) and ethyl 4 dimethyl amino benzoate (EDMAB). Four different compositions were prepared by reinforcing different weight percentage (0-3 wt%) of silane functionalized micro sized gypsum particle. Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) of silane treated filler were used to study the coupling phenomena between filler and resin. Polymerization shrinkage of composites was evaluated using specific gravity method. The Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) result revealed that the Glass transition temperature was found to be decreased by 158C compared to unfilled composite. It was also found that the 2 wt% gypsum content recorded the highest value of storage modulus. Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA) result revealed that 2 wt% gypsum filled dental composite exhibited maximum thermal stability. The novel dental material exhibited better physical, optical, mechanical, thermal properties and lowest polymerization shrinkage with maximum conversion. (C) 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers