SURFACE ROUGHNESS OF ENAMEL SHADES OF COMPOSITE RESINS AFTER POLISHING WITH RECIPROCATING MOVEMENTS

Abstract

The surface characteristics of the dental restoration influence the esthetic quality, the tactile sensation, the resistance to corrosion-abrasion phenomena and the adhesion of the bacterial biofilm. Recently a new system has been introduced for finishing and polishing composite restorations. Profine (Dentatus) system consists of a contraangle handpiece using reciprocating movement and special diamond and carbide tips. The purpose of of this study was to investigate the surface roughness of several composite resins when using the Profine System with Lamineer tips. Four commercially light-cured composite resins were tested. 10 discs were prepared for each material. Profine handpiece was used for finishing procedures. For each material 5 discs were finished using the diamond tips and the other 5 using the tungsten carbide tips. The surface roughness was evaluated using a profilometer (Surftest SJ-210, Mitutoyo). Significant differences of the surface roughness have been found between the tested materials, for both types of Lamineer tips. The surface roughness of composites seems to be dependent on both material and type of Lamineer tip used for polishing. Although the Profine-Lamineer system has shown promising results, further studies on the influence of time, pressure, and speed of the movement are needed in order to assess the best protocols for polishing restorations when using this system

Keywords

• composite resin
• finishing
• Surface roughness