In vitro investigation of the effect of different beverages on the hardness and roughness of restorative materials

In this study, it was aimed to determine the change in hardness and surface roughness of four different restorative dental materials kept in different beverages. In the study, one conventional composite resin (Filtek Z250, 3M Espe, St. Paul, MN, USA), 2 bulkfil composites (Xtrafill Voco, Cuxhaven, Germany and Tetric N Ceram, Ivoclar Vivadent, AG Schaan/Liechtenstein, Germany) and one glass ionomer cement (Ketac Molar Easymix, 3M Espe, St. Paul, MN, USA) was used. Samples were prepared using round Teflon molds with a height of 4 mm and a diameter of 8 mm (n=10). Each specimen was polished with coarse, medium, fine and super fine grained discs. Then, the initial roughness and hardness values of the samples were measured. For roughness tests, the measuring length was set to 2 mm and the cut-off value was set to 0.25 mm. Hardness tests were carried out by applying 200 gr load for 15 seconds. Then, each material group was divided into 3 groups to be kept in 3 different drinks. The groups were kept in cola, tea and distilled water for 30 days, 3 times a day, for 15 minutes each time. All samples were kept in distilled water during the periods that were not kept in the beverages. After the 30-day period, the roughness and hardness tests of the samples were repeated using the same parameters. Surface analyzes were made by taking scanning electron microscopy after the samples were kept in the starter and beverages. As a result of the statistical analysis, a significant difference was found between the initial surface roughness and hardness values of the groups (p<0.05). In the analysis made as a result of all tests,changes were observed in the roughness and hardness values of the materials after they were kept in the beverages (p<0.05). Drinks caused an increase in the roughness values of the materials and a decrease in the microhardness values. It was determined that the most affected material from beverages was glass ionomer, and the least affected material was conventional composite resin. It was determined that the beverages consumed in daily life were effective on the hardness and surface roughness of the materials.