Effectiveness of liquid rubber dam in improving dental isolation: An in vitro study

A liquid rubber dam is used as a gingiva protector and to ameliorate the sealing quality around the tooth. No information about the mechanical properties of liquid rubber dam and its efficiency in tooth isolation was reported in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the morphological changes after contact with different solutions, microleakages, bond strength to enamel, and mechanical properties of two different liquid rubber dams (Top dam “TD” and OpalDam™ “OD”). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphological changes. Compression strength and viscosity tests were used to investigate the mechanical properties. A shear bond strength test was performed to evaluate the bond strength of liquid rubber dams to enamel. Solubility was performed to investigate the effect of water after 90 min of contact. Finally, the microleakage tests were performed by using methylene blue. Data were statistically analyzed. No presence of methylene blue was detected after 30, 60, and 90 min of immersion for both dams, giving both products a good sealing ability in time. SEM demonstrated morphological changes of the materials’ surfaces after contact with bleaching and phosphoric acid products. TD demonstrated higher bond strength to enamel as well as higher compression strength at 90 min compared to OD. However, TD demonstrated higher solubility than OD, which facilitates its deposition in layers. The shear viscosity of the TD was higher than that of the OD material by about a factor of 60. Within the limitations of the present study, liquid rubber dam can ensure the sealing ability. TD seems to be more resistant and has higher bond strength to tooth structure compared to OD. Keywords: Liquid rubber dam, Mechanical properties, Dental isolation, Microleakage