Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) as a filler in dental composite: Evaluation of micro-hardness and wear properties

The present study focuses on evaluating the role of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) on the chemical, mechanical and wear properties of polymeric dental composites. MTA was added in the dental composite in the range of 0-9 wt. %. LED light curing was used to fabricate the dental composite sample. The performance was assessed in terms of depth of cure, polymerization shrinkage, degree of conversion micro-hardness and wear properties. Wear volume was evaluated using a Dental wear simulator after running 20,000 cycles. The result of the study shows that in dry condition, the wear volume of dental material with 9 wt. % MTA was 56.21% less than that of wear volume of dental material without MTA. In artificial saliva condition, the wear volume of dental material with 9 wt. % MTA was 81.86% less than that of wear volume of dental material without MTA. The micro-hardness of dental composite is increased by 60.7% with the incorporation of 9 wt. % of MTA. It can be concluded that the use of mineral trioxide in dental composite can decrease wear rate and improve life of teeth. Therefore, it can be suggested to use MTA as an alternative of costly nanofiller ingredient in dental composite.