A polymeric nanocomposite system for potential adhesive applications in restorative dentistry

This article presents and discusses the preliminary results obtained as a continuation of a work aiming to contribute to the effort of exploring the potential of certain types of polymer nanocomposites to be successful candidates in new fields such as dental restoration. An epoxy-functional silicate-/Zr-based polymeric nanocomposite material system containing phosphorus was obtained via a sol–gel method, and applied to bring about a bonding between bovine teeth and feldspathic ceramic discs with or without the use of visible light (VL)-curing process. Infrared spectroscopy was employed to show the presence of phosphorus within the structure. Mechanical tests were performed to determine the shear-bond strength of the nanocomposite adhesive system developed. An approximate shear-bond strength value of 0.4 MPa was obtained for both VL-cured and uncured systems. Though this value was lower than that of commercially available material systems, it was promisingly comparable to them. Another significant finding was that the material system developed within the study might potentially eliminate the use of curing process. Also, it was demonstrated that the general problem of ‘shrinkage-upon-polymerization’ could be overcome by use of a polymeric nanocomposite adhesive material system of this type. Overall results indicated that this polymeric nanocomposite system could indeed be potentially considered as an adhesive alternative in prospective dental restoration applications.