Surface Roughness and Staining Susceptibility of Composite Resins after Finishing and Polishing

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the influence of filler size and finishing systems on the surface roughness and staining of three composite resins. Methods: Three composites, classified according to their filler size, were selected: Filtek Supreme Plus/nanofill (3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA), Esthet-X/minifill (Dentsply Caulk, Milford, DE, USA), and Renamel Microfill/microfill (Cosmedent Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Composite specimens were made in stainless steel split molds and polished with Sof-Lex (3M ESPE), Enhance + PoGo (Dentsply Caulk), or FlexiDiscs + Enamelize (Cosmedent Inc.). Finishing systems were used according to the manufacturers' instructions and polished surfaces were evaluated with a profilometer and then immersed in 2% methylene blue for 24 hours. Specimens were then prepared for spectrophotometric analysis and results were statistically analyzed by two-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test. Results: No significant differences in surface roughness among the composites were found when the surfaces were treated with Enhance + PoGo. In addition, no differences were observed when the Filtek Supreme Plus composite was submitted to surface staining evaluation. In general, the composites polished with the finishing systems from the same company demonstrated lower surface roughness and staining. Conclusion: The results of this study recommend that composite resins could be finished and polished with finishing systems supplied by the composite's manufacturer. The surface roughness and staining of composite resins were not influenced solely by filler size. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Dentists should finish and polish composite resin with the polishing agent supplied by the same manufacturer. The smallest filler size does not necessarily result in a low surface roughness and staining susceptibility. (J Esthet Restor Dent 23:34-45, 2011).