Development and characterization of silicate based powder reinforced, hydrophobic monomer modified dental restorative composites

Tooth decay is the most prevalent treatable disease affecting people's lives. Changes in eating habits have led to an increase in the number of tooth decays that need to be addressed daily. Therefore, the importance of dental composites, which are designed to replace tooth tissue lost due to caries, is increasing. The lifespan of dental composites applied to the teeth is a crucial factor in determining the success of the dental restoration. The lifespan of dental composites is influenced by various factors, with high water sorption being a significant contributor to reduced longevity. This thesis aims to address this issue by incorporating SMA into the traditional matrix composition, resulting in dental composites with reduced water sorption and increased lifespan. In addition, silanite powders were synthesised by hydrothermal method to be used as reinforcement elements in dental composites, and the effects of the synthesis parameters on the morphological and chemical properties of the resulting powders were investigated. Silanite powders with a high aspect ratio were successfully produced using 1.5 molar precursor material, 1.5 molar Li/Si ratio, 175 °C reaction temperature and 24 h reaction time. It has been observed that adding SMA monomer to the polymer composition at different rates reduces water absorption and water solubility by up to 25% by weight. The composites were produced immediately before production by mechanical mixing method to avoid phase separation, as waiting for the monomer composition containing SMA before curing can cause phase separation. However, the desired results could not be achieved due to the inevitable effects of the composite production method. Morover, mesoporous silica and spherical silica were synthesized, fumed silica was obtained commercially and used as reinforcement in the composites. In this way, the effect of the morphological structure on the mechanical and physical properties of the composite was investigated.