POLYMERIC MATERIALS FOR COMPOSITE MATRICES IN BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTS

Bifunctional monomers of new formulations have been synthesized and tested for potential use in dental composite filling materials. The monomers were designed to have lower viscosity than the standard basic monomer, thus requiring less dilution with low molecular weight monomer to achieve useful viscosities. It was hypothesized that the presence of the diluent is a main source of adverse effects on curing shrinkage and water sorption. The new materials were diluted to viscosities equivalent to commercial blends and tested for curing shrinkage, water sorption and wetting ability. Shrinkage was determined from the density differences between monomers and polymers, and polymer water sorption was determined gravimetrically. Wetting ability was measured by contact angle against human dentin and enamel as well as poly(methyl methacrylate) and glass. The newly synthesized monomers did exhibit reduced viscosity and required less dilution. They exihibited less curing shrinkage and water sorption. The contact angles showed little change from current materials.