Abstract
Objective: To estimate the effect of temperature over the physical properties of commonly used luting cements. Material and Methods: The two set of cylindrical shaped cement samples measuring 12mm X 6mm and 4mm X 8mm were fabricated from non-eugenol zinc oxide, glass ionomer, zinc phosphate, Zinc polycarboxylate, resin cements. These two sets of samples were utilized to test compressive and diametral tensile strength respectively. Forty cement samples from each mold were fabricated and distributed between 14, 22, 37 and 55 degrees C (N=10). The samples were tested under universal testing machine, and data subsequently analyzed using One-way ANOVA and Tukey multiple comparison's statistical methods at p > 0.05. Results: The higher temperature resulted in noticeable reduction in the compressive strength of non-eugenol-zinc oxide, Zinc-phosphate, Zinc poly carboxylate cements. The highest compressive strength was recorded for non-eugenol zinc oxide (8.08 Mpa) at 37 degrees C, Zinc phosphate (91.01 Mpa) at 14 degrees C, and for zinc polycarboxylate (83.06 Mpa) at 37 degrees C. The comparative values for respective cements at 55 degrees C were 6.40 Mpa, 59.80 Mpa, and 52.88 Mpa. The higher temperature had insignificant effect on the compressive strength of glass ionomer cement, while composite resin cement indicated minor deterioration. Conclusion: The relative mouth temperature influences the physical properties of the luting cements.