Dental compomers, also known as polyacid-modified resin composite, are used in dentistry as a
filling material. They were introduced in the early 1990s as a hybrid of two other dental materials,
dental composites and
glass ionomer cement
A glass ionomer cement (GIC) is a dental restorative material used in dentistry as a filling material and luting cement, including for orthodontic bracket attachment. Glass-ionomer cements are based on the reaction of silicate glass-powder (calc ...
, in an effort to combine their desirable properties: aesthetics for
dental composites (they are white and closely mimic tooth tissue, so can camouflage into a tooth very well) and the fluoride releasing ability for
glass ionomer cements (helps to prevent further tooth decay).
History
Compomers were introduced in the early 1990s. Previous available restorative materials included
dental amalgam
Dental amalgam is a liquid mercury and metal alloy mixture used in dentistry to fill cavities caused by tooth decay. Low-copper amalgam commonly consists of mercury (50%), silver (~22–32%), tin (~14%), zinc (~8%) and other trace metals.
...
,
glass ionomer cement
A glass ionomer cement (GIC) is a dental restorative material used in dentistry as a filling material and luting cement, including for orthodontic bracket attachment. Glass-ionomer cements are based on the reaction of silicate glass-powder (calc ...
, resin modified glass ionomer cement and
dental composites.
Composition
Compomers are resin-based materials like
dental composites, and the components are largely the same.
The setting reaction is similarly a
polymerisation
In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many for ...
process of resin monomers (e.g. urethane dimethacrylate) which have been modified by polyacid groups, and is induced by free radicals released from a
photoinitiator
A photoinitiator is a molecule that creates reactive species (free radicals, cations or anions) when exposed to radiation (UV or visible). Synthetic photoinitiators are key components in photopolymers (for example, photo-curable coatings, adhesive ...
such as
camphorquinone. To induce the release of these free radicals, the
photoinitiator
A photoinitiator is a molecule that creates reactive species (free radicals, cations or anions) when exposed to radiation (UV or visible). Synthetic photoinitiators are key components in photopolymers (for example, photo-curable coatings, adhesive ...
must be exposed to a specific wavelength of light, blue light in the case of
camphorquinone.
There is a second less significant
acid-base setting reaction which takes place after the light-cured polymerisation reaction; this setting reaction occurs as the compomer absorbs water from the oral environment.
Also in compomer is fluoroaluminosilicate glass which, when broken down by hydrogen ions through an
acid-base reaction, releases
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
.
This process requires water absorbed from the oral environment. To aid water absorption and
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
release, some of the resins in the compomer matrix are more
hydrophilic
A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.
In contrast, hydrophobes are no ...
(e.g. glycerol dimethacrylate).
The source of the hydrogen ions that break the fluoroaluminosilicate glass particles apart are certain resin monomers that have a carboxyl group attached. Some compomers instead source their hydrogen ions from a methacrylated polycarboxylic acid copolymer that is similarly used in some
resin modified glass ionomer cements.
Properties
Aesthetics
Compomers are tooth coloured materials, and so their aesthetics can immediately be seen as better than that of
dental amalgams. It has been shown that ratings in various aesthetic areas are better for compomers than
resin modified glass ionomer cements.
[Folwaczny M, Mehl A, Kunzelmann KH, Hickel R. Clinical performance of a resin-modified glass-ionomer and a compomer in restoring non-carious cervical lesions. 5-year results. ''American Journal of Dentistry'', 14(3):153-6, 2001 Jun.] Compomers are also available in various non-natural colours from various dental companies for use in deciduous teeth.
Compomers and
resin-modified glass ionomers have better aesthetics than
conventional glass ionomer cements.
Fluoride release
Compomers and
glass ionomer cements can release
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
. This property can be useful in cases where a patient has a higher risk of experience
tooth decay
Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicatio ...
in future.
Fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
is a mineral which helps strengthen our teeth and protects them from decay, and it is found in many dental products including
toothpaste
Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, a ...
. Compomers and
glass ionomer cements are able to release
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
over extended periods, and this may help to reduce the risk of a tooth decaying further. However, such a property does not negate the need for excellent
oral hygiene
Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and cleaning between the teeth. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out ...
to prevent oral disease.
Compomers are recommended for patients at medium risk of developing
dental caries
Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicatio ...
.
There is conflicting evidence regarding the amount of
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
compomers can release: Powers, Wataha and Chen (2017) state compomers do not release as much
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
as
glass ionomer cements because they have a lower concentration of fluoroaluminosilicate glass particles;
there is supporting evidence to suggest compomers only release 10% of that of
glass ionomer cement
A glass ionomer cement (GIC) is a dental restorative material used in dentistry as a filling material and luting cement, including for orthodontic bracket attachment. Glass-ionomer cements are based on the reaction of silicate glass-powder (calc ...
.
On the other hand, Richard van Noort (2013) states that, due to recent developments, modern compomers are now capable of releasing the same amount of
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
over the lifetime of the restoration as
glass ionomer cements.
Emerging evidence has shown that compomers and
glass ionomer cements are able to absorb
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
from the oral environment when their own
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
stores are depleted, a process described as 'recharging'. The material can then release this stored
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
when the
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
concentration in the oral environment falls, thus exposing the teeth to
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
for longer. This recharging ability is not as effective in compomers as it is in
glass ionomers cements. Nevertheless, this can further prevent the risk of
tooth decay
Tooth decay, also known as cavities or caries, is the breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria. The cavities may be a number of different colors from yellow to black. Symptoms may include pain and difficulty with eating. Complicatio ...
.
There is evidence to show compomers have no advantage over an
amalgam
Amalgam most commonly refers to:
* Amalgam (chemistry), mercury alloy
* Amalgam (dentistry), material of silver tooth fillings
** Bonded amalgam, used in dentistry
Amalgam may also refer to:
* Amalgam Comics, a publisher
* Amalgam Digital
...
restoration with a fluoride releasing bonding agent, which releases
mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
and
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
.
[Trachtenberg F. Maserejian NN. Soncini JA. Hayes C. Tavares M. Does fluoride in compomers prevent future caries in children? ''Journal of Dental Research'', 88(3):276-9, 2009 Mar.]
Polymerisation shrinkage
Compomers undergo some shrinkage during the setting reaction, and the extent of this
polymerisation
In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many for ...
shrinkage is similar to that of
dental composites.
Water uptake
Compomers absorb water more rapidly than
dental composites due to the addition of
hydrophilic
A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.
In contrast, hydrophobes are no ...
resin monomers within the matrix (see ''Composition'' section above). As such, water equilibrium is reached within days rather than weeks, months or even years in the case of
dental composite materials. This property has the advantage of compensating for the polymerisation shrinkage during the setting reaction, thus reducing any gap that develops at the cavity margins. However, it can also cause fracture of
all-ceramic crowns when compomer is used as the
luting cement. Therefore, it is not recommended to use the luting version of compomer for cementing
all-ceramic crowns.
More information on luting compomer can be found below.
Mechanial properties
Compomers have poorer mechanical properties than dental composites, with a lower
compressive
In continuum mechanics, stress is a physical quantity. It is a quantity that describes the magnitude of forces that cause deformation. Stress is defined as ''force per unit area''. When an object is pulled apart by a force it will cause elon ...
,
flexural and
tensile strength
Ultimate tensile strength (UTS), often shortened to tensile strength (TS), ultimate strength, or F_\text within equations, is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before breaking. In brittle materials t ...
. Therefore, compomers are not an ideal material for load bearing restorations.
In terms of
wear resistance
Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology.
Wear in m ...
, compomers wear less quickly than
glass ionomer and resin modified glass ionomer cements, but do not perform as well as
dental composites.
Clinical application
Handling
Handling and ease of use of composites is generally seen as good by dental professionals. Compomers are available in both normal and flowable forms, with the manufacturers of the flowable compomers claiming that they have the ability to shape to the cavity without the need for hand instruments.
Adhesion to tooth tissue
It is important to note that compomers do not bond to
tooth
A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...
tissue like
glass ionomer cements; this is the same issue with
dental composites. It is therefore essential to use bonding agents to aid adhesion of the compomer to tooth.
Finishing and polishing
The process of finishing and polishing compomers is similar to that of
dental composites.
After finishing and polishing, compomers have a similar surface roughness to
dental composites.
Indications for use
As a restorative material, compomers are limited to low-stress bearing situations (proximal and cervical restorations) due to their mechanical properties and wear resistance as detailed in the ''Properties'' section above.
Compomers can be used as a cavity lining material to provide pulpal protection.
Compomers are notable used in
Paediatric dentistry
Pediatric dentistry (formerly pedodontics in American English or paedodontics in Commonwealth English) is the branch of dentistry dealing with children
from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the Ameri ...
. Possible uses include:
* As a restorative material, particularly for Class I and II cavities (see ''Green Vardiman Black Classification'' section on the Wiki page for
Dental Restoration
Dental restoration, dental fillings, or simply fillings are treatments used to restore the function, integrity, and morphology of missing tooth structure resulting from caries or external trauma as well as to the replacement of such structure sup ...
)
* Fissure sealants
* For cementation of
orthodontic
Orthodontics is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modification of facial growth, known as dentofacial ...
bands
Survival rate
Studies have shown compomers to have high survival rates 2-4 years following placement.
Some issues that were identified 2-3 years after placement include discolouration around the restoration margins and loss of marginal integrity.
Compomer luting cement
Composition
A powder and liquid are mixed together to form the
luting cement.
The powder contains fluoroaluminosilicate glass particles, sodium fluoride, and self-cured and light-cured initiators.
The liquid contains poly-acid modified monomers and water. The carboxylic acid groups in the methacrylate-carboxylic acid monomer help with adhesion.
Properties
The advantages of compomer luting cement are listed below:
* Retentive
* High
bond strength
In chemistry, bond energy (''BE''), also called the mean bond enthalpy or average bond enthalpy is the measure of bond strength in a chemical bond. IUPAC defines bond energy as the average value of the gas-phase bond-dissociation energy (usually a ...
* High
compressive strength
In mechanics, compressive strength or compression strength is the capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads tending to reduce size (as opposed to tensile strength which withstands loads tending to elongate). In other words, compre ...
* High
flexural strength
Flexural strength, also known as modulus of rupture, or bend strength, or transverse rupture strength is a material property, defined as the stress in a material just before it yields in a flexure test. The transverse bending test is most freque ...
* High
fracture toughness
In materials science, fracture toughness is the critical stress intensity factor of a sharp crack where propagation of the crack suddenly becomes rapid and unlimited. A component's thickness affects the constraint conditions at the tip of a c ...
* Low
solubility
In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution.
The extent of the solubil ...
* Sustained
fluoride
Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
release with the potential to act as a fluoride reservoir (recharges when it becomes depleted of fluoride, see 'Fluoride release' in ''Properties'' section above for more details)
The compressive and tensile strength of compomer cements are comparable to that of
glass ionomer, resin-modified glass ionomer, and zinc polycarboxylate cements.
Indications for use
The use of the luting version of compomer is not recommended for
all-ceramic crowns, nor as a core or filling material. See 'Water uptake' in ''Properties'' section above for more details.
Compomer luting cement can however be used for
cast alloy and ceramic-metal restorations.
See also
*
Dental restorative materials
*
Dental composite
Dental composite resins (better referred to as "resin-based composites" or simply "filled resins") are dental cements made of synthetic resins. Synthetic resins evolved as restorative materials since they were insoluble, of good tooth-like appea ...
*
Glass ionomer cement
A glass ionomer cement (GIC) is a dental restorative material used in dentistry as a filling material and luting cement, including for orthodontic bracket attachment. Glass-ionomer cements are based on the reaction of silicate glass-powder (calc ...
References
{{Reflist
Composite materials
Dental materials
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