Physical and mechanical characterizations of experimental pit and fissure sealants based on bioactive glasses.

Fissure sealants commonly exhibit weak mechanical and physical properties, potentially compromising their effectiveness in preventing dental caries. Therefore, this laboratory study aimed to synthesize and characterize experimental pit and fissure sealants in comparison with a commercially available sealant. Three different formulations of experimental pit and fissure sealing materials were synthesized using a blend of bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA) and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) monomers. The resin composition encompassed 70 wt.%, with 30 wt.% fillers comprising 10 wt.% silica in each composition, while 20 wt.% bioactive glasses. Specifically, group G1 employed Biomin F powder, group G2 utilized Biomin C powder, and group G3 incorporated S53P4 powder. The control group (GC) was a commercially available pit and fissure sealant (Seal-Rite). Ten disk-shaped specimens from each study group were fabricated (n = 10/group). The surface roughness, water contact angle, nanohardness (nH), elastic modulus (EM), water solubility and sorption were statistically evaluated using a one-way analysis of variance (p < 0.05). The surface roughness of the G1 & G2 groups and the water contact angle of G1, G2 & G3 groups were significantly lower compared to the control group (p < 0.05). However, nH, EM, water solubility, and sorption were notably higher in the control group compared to the experimental groups, except G1, which exhibited no significant difference from the control group (p > 0.05). The inclusion of micron-sized Biomin F powder in the experimental Bis-GMA/TEGDMA resin formulation demonstrated advantageous effects in reducing surface roughness and forming a lower contact angle without compromising the mechanical attributes.