Synthesis and characterization of dental polymeric composites

In this study, polymer-based dental materials were synthesized for using as fillings in restorative dentistry and the synthesized structures were characterized. For this aim, acrylics based monomers, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and crossing agents, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM) and ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA), were used. Varied monomer solutions were prepared in different ratios of monomer, crossing agent, initiator and solvent and the gelation times of solutions were determined. According to the gelation times solutions were reprepared at 4 different structures as GMA-EGDM, HEMA-EGDM, GMA-HEMA-EGDM and GMA-EDMA-EGDM, and the solutions were taken from the polymerization process before gelation time and they were precipitate in methanol and were obtained as powders. These linear- chained polymer powders were characterized by using FTIR spectrophotometer. These synthesized polymers were mixed up with activator component camphorquinone (CQ), agent of activator ethyl 4-dimethyl amino benzoaty (EDMAB) and their own monomers in order to have polymer pastes and these pastes were cured by using LED then characterized with water uptake values. Also, HAP was used as an additive in selected samples and water uptake values determined. Results were evaluated.