Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different nanofillers incorporated into glass-ionomer cements (GICs). Two restorative GICs (Fuji IX and GlassFill) were selected and divided into four sub-groups: Control (without any added filler); 0.03 Wt.-% single-walled carbon nanotubes
(SWCNT); 0.03 Wt.-% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT); and 10 Wt.-% silver oxide nanoparticles. A total of eight disk-shaped samples from each subgroup were fabricated. Surface roughness, nanohardness and compressive strength of the study groups were statistically analyzed using one-way
analysis of variance (P <0.05). Addition of nanofillers enhanced the surface roughness in both GICs. The lowest surface roughness was observed in Fuji IX Control (0.9±0.3 μm). While the highest surface roughness was observed in Fuji IX with 10 Wt.% Ag2O (2.2±0.5
μm). The nanohardness was higher in 10 Wt.-% Ag2O in both Fuji IX (0.5 ± 0.2 GPa) and GlassFill (0.6 ± 0.3 GPa) experimental groups compared to the control and CNTs groups. The highest compressive strength was exhibited by Fuji IX with 0.03 Wt.% SWCNTs (31.8
±8.0 GPa). Incorporation of 0.03 Wt.-% SWCNTs in GIC seems a promising approach for improving the clinical survival of GIC in the load bearing areas of the oral cavity.