Premixed tricalcium silicate/sodium phosphate dibasic cements for root canal filling

Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) showed good clinical outcomes for many endodontic diseases. However, poor handling characteristics and anti-washout ability of MTA largely limit its widespread applications. In this study, a premixed tricalcium silicate (TCS)/sodium phosphate dibasic (SPD) cement was developed to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of MTA. The hardening mechanism of TCS/SPD premixed pastes was studied. The influences of SPD on washout resistance, injectability, flowablity, setting time and compressive strength of the premixed TCS pastes were investigated. Considering required radiopacity, ZrO2 was incorporated, and radiopacity, anti-washout characteristics, bioactivity and sealability of radiopaque cements were studied. The results revealed that addition of SPD changed the phase compositions and morphologies of hydration products of cements. The anti-washout performance of TCS/SPD premixed cements was greatly enhanced due to improved cohesion of pastes. Additionally, TCS/SPD premixed pastes had good injectability and flowability. The setting time and compressive strength displayed a decreasing trend after adding SPD. The radiopacity of cements significantly increased from 1.54 to 3.64 mm Al with increasing ZrO2 content from 0 to 30 wt%, and the radiopaque premixed pastes showed good apatite formation-ability and sealing property. These results indicated that radiopaque TCS/SPD premixed cements could be a novel promising dental cement.

Automated summary

A novel premixed TCS/SPD cement was developed to overcome the limitations of MTA, showing improved anti-washout performance and flowability. Addition of ZrO2 significantly increased radiopacity of the cement, while maintaining good bioactivity and sealing properties, making it a promising dental cement.