AN IN-VITRO STUDY OF GLASS FLAKE AS A POTENTIAL FILLER OF RESIN COATING

Abstract

Introduction and aim: The occlusal pit and fissures of posterior are vulnerable to caries due to its complex morphological complexity. Occupying only 12.5% of a tooth's total surface, 85% of dental caries is seen on the occlusal. Resin based sealants have been used as a preventive treatment and have been shown to be effective. However, wear resistance is a major issue of pit and fissure sealants which leads to material loss, increased roughness, and fracture-causing microcracks, leading to experimental sealants with different types of fillers being developed. Glass flake has been used in engineering and oil & gas applications as a coating material, as aligned flake particles have shown excellent wear resistance and anti-corrosive under acid challenge. Therefore, Glass flake has the potential to show the same benefits if it is incorporated in a resin fissure sealant. This project aimed to investigate the glass flake as a potential filler for resin coating by comparing it with commercially available unfilled resin based sealants and control groups. Materials and methods: 15 extracted permanent teeth with pits and fissures, following inclusion criteria were selected. Samples were randomly distributed into five experimental groups; Resin + Glass Flake, Resin + Inert Filler, Resin-Only, commercially available fissure sealant Helioseal® and Untreated. The teeth were exposed to artificial saliva at pH 4.8 over three weeks. The results were subjected to XMT and SEM analysis. Results and Conclusion: At the end of the study period (three weeks), XMT analysis showed a complete loss of Helioseal® and no substantial mineral loss in other groups. Meanwhile, the glass flake was seen to overlap and align on the tooth surface creating a physical barrier as a resin filler on SEM. To conclude, glass flake is a potential filler as a resin based fissure sealant.