Chemical composition, radiopacity, and biocompatibility of Portland cement with bismuth oxide

Objective. This study compared the chemical constitution, radiopacity, and biocompatibility of Portland cement containing bismuth oxide (experimental cement) with those of Portland cement and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). Study design. The chemical constitution of materials was determined by scanning electron miscroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The radiopacity of the materials was determined using the ISO/6876 method. The biocompatibility of the materials was tested by MTT assay and tissue reaction. Results. The constitution of all materials was similar. However, the Portland cement and experimental cement were more irregular and had a larger particle size than MTA. The radiopacity of the experimental cement was similar to MTA. The MTT assay revealed MTA to have slightly higher cell viability than the other materials. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the materials, with the exception of MTA at 24 h. There was no significant difference in the tissue reaction between the experimental groups. Conclusions. These results suggest that the experimental cement may be used as a substitute for MTA. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2009;107:e96-e102)