PROPERTIES

OF
COMPOSITE RESINS
BY
SNEHA DAS D
2ND YEAR BDS
 PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE
RESTORATIVE MATERIALS

● Degree of conversion • Water Absorption

● Matrix constraint • Wear Resistance
● Toughness • Surface Texture
● Placement time • Radiopacity
• Modulus of Elasticity
● Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
● Solubility
• Creep

• Polymerization Shrinkage

• Configuration or “C-factor”

• Esthetics of Composites

• Microleakage and Nanoleakage

• Biocompatibility

• Working and Setting Times

DEGREE OF CONVERSION (DC)
♦Itis the measure of percentage of carbon -carbon double bonds that have
been converted to single bonds to form a polymeric resin.

♦Higher the DC,better the strength,wear resistance etc..

♦eg:- A conversion of 50-60% typical of highly cross-linked bis-GMA based

composites→50-60% of methacrylate groups have polymerised.
♦Factors depending conversion of monomer to polymer

● resin composition
● Transmission of light through material
● Concentrations of sensitizer,initiator and inhibitors.

♦The total DC does not differ between chemically activated and light
activated composites containing the same monomer formulations as long as
adequate light curing is employed.
MATRIX CONSTRAINT
● Presence of filler particles bonded to the Matrix via coupling agents
reduces thermal expansion and contraction.
● During expansion : while the space occupied by the filler tries to increase,
the filler with low coefficient of expansion doesnot expand and reduces
the expansion
● During cooling : the matrix contracts, but since the filler occupies that
space, contraction is reduced.
● Both can lead to fracture of restoration.
TOUGHNESS
● Toughness is defined as the amount of elastic and plastic deformation
energy required to fracture a material.
● The strength of composites is highly dependent on the ability of the
coupling agent to transfer stresses from weak Matrix to the strong filler
particles.
● As a crack propagates,it pass around filler particles as it is stronger than
matrix and interfacial bond.
● If the bond is weaker,as crack propagates,a void or tear opens infront of
the crack and blunt the tip— Crack blunting
● It will prevent further propagation of crack to an extent.
PLACEMENT TIME
● On comparison of amalgam, composite and inlays, the placement time is
significantly higher for ceramic and composite inlays.
 RADIOPACITY
🔸Resins are inherently radiolucent.

🔸 Presence of radiopaque fillers like barium glass, strontium and zirconium

makes the composite restoration radiopaque.
COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION
● The coefficient of thermal expansion is defined as the amount a material
expands per unit length if heated 1 degree higher.
● Coefficient of thermal expansion of composite is three times higher than
that of normal tooth structure
● So more contraction and expansion occur than enamel and dentin when
temperature change occurs.
● It can result in loosening of the restoration.
● It can be reduced by adding more filler particles.
● Linear coefficient of thermal expansion of composite ranges between
25-30 x 10-6/°C and 55-68 x 10-6/°C
WATER ABSORPTION
● Water absorption by resin result in
swelling of resin matrix,filler debonding
and finally to restoration failure.
 FACTORS AFFECTING WATER
ABSORPTION OF COMPOSITE
• More is the filler content, less is the water sorption.

• Lesser degree of polymerization causes more sorption.

• Type and amount of monomer and dilutent also affect water sorption. For example,
UDMA-based composites show less sorption and solubility.
WEAR
● It is the volume loss by abrasion and other mechanism):
● Two principal mechanisms of composite wear:-

1)Two body wear:- based on direct contact of the restoration with an

opposing cusp or with adjacent proximal surfaces to mimic the high
stresses developed in the small area of contact.
 2) Three body wear:- stimulates loss of
material in noncontacting areas, most
probably due to masticatory forces in occlusal
surface

● This type of wear is affected by no.of

properties such as toughness, porosity,
stability of the silane coupling agent, degree of
monomer conversion, filler loading and the
size and type of filler particles.
WEAR RESISTANCE

● Composites are prone to wear under masticatory forces or use of tooth

brushing or abrasive food.
● It is a property of filler particles depending upon their size and shape.
● The site of restorations in dental arch and occlusal contact relationship,
size, shape and content of filler particles affect the wear resistance of the
composites.
Factors affecting degradation of composites
🔸Lesser the polymerization,greater the degradation.

🔸Microfilled composites show less degradation.

🔸Hydrolytic degradation of Sr or Ba salt →increase pressure at resin filler
→Cause crack and fracture of composite restoration.
junction

🔸Sudden temperature change→disruption in silane coating→bond failure

between matrix and filler.
 SURFACE TEXTURE

🔸The size and composition of filler particles determine the

smoothness of the surface of a restoration.

🔸Microfilled composites offer the smoothest restorative surface.

 MODULUS OF ELASTICITY

🔸Modulus of elasticity of a material is the measure of relative rigidity or

stiffness.

🔸Microfill composites have greater flexibility than hybrid composite since

they have lower modulus of elasticity.
 SOLUBILITY
🔸Solubility is the relative tendency to dissolve in oral fluids

🔸Composite materials do not show any clinically significant solubility in oral

fluids.

🔸 Water solubility of composites ranges from 0.5-1.1 mg/cm2.

CREEP

🔸Creep is a time dependent permanent deformation of material

under occlusal loading.

🔸 More is the content of resin matrix, more is the creep. For example,
microfilled composites show more creep since they contain more of resin
matrix.
 CONFIGURATION FACTOR OR C FACTOR
♦Introduced by Prof Carol Davidson and his colleagues in 1980s.

♦It is the ratio of bonded surface of the restoration to the unbonded surfaces.

♦The higher the value of C-factor, the greater is the polymerization shrinkage

♦three-dimensional tooth preparations(Class I)→ highest (most unfavorable)

C-factor →more risk to the effects of polymerization shrinkage.

♦C-factor plays a significant role when tooth preparation extends up to the root
surface causing a V-shaped gap formation between the composite and root surface
due to polymerization shrinkage.
AESTHETICS OF COMPOSITE
♦ Composites have good aesthetics because of their
property of translucency.

♦Available in different opacities and shades so they

can be used in different places according to aesthetic
requirements.

♦But due to oxidation, moisture and exposure to

ultraviolet light, etc. some chemical changes can occur
in the resin matrix which results in discoloration of
composite with time.
 MICROLEAKAGE
♦Microleakage: It is passage of fluid and bacteria in micro- gaps (10–6 m)
between restoration and tooth.

♦ Result in damage to pulp.

♦Microleakage can occur due to:

– Polymerization shrinkage of composites

– Poor adhesion and wetting

– Thermal stresses

– Mechanical loading

Microleakage can result in bacterial leakage which can further cause

discoloration, recurrent caries and pulpal infection.
NANOLEAKAGE
♦Nanoleakage: It is passage of fluid/dissolved species in nanosized (10–9 m)
gaps.

♦These nanosized porositiesboccur within hybrid layer

♦Nanoleakage occurs due to:

– Inadequate polymerization of primer before application of bonding agent.

– Incomplete resin infiltration.

– Polymerization shrinkage of maturing primer resin.

Nanoleakage can result in sensitivity during occlusal and thermal stresses.

 BIOCOMPATIBILITY
♦It is the ability of a dental material or device to function in harmony with the
body without causing adverse reactions.

♦Since composites are made from petrochemical products, studies have shown
that the major components are cytotoxic if used in pure state.

♦Bisphenol A and its dimethacrylate are estrogenic in uncured composite

♦cause contact allergy in those who regularly handle uncured composite.

♦These have shown to cause:

● Inflammation
● Toxicity ● Allergic response
● Leaching of TEGDMA, HEMA, etc. ● Genotoxicity
● Deposition of plaque on restoration ● Mutagenicity
● Carcinogenicity
 WORKING AND SETTING TIME
Chemical cured composites

* Setting time:3-5 minutes

* Working time:from start of mix till temperature begins to rise

Light cured composites:

* Curing is considered on demand

* Composite may appear to be fully hard and cured after curing by light
source, but curing reaction continues for 24 hours.

* Degree of conversion is 75%

* Premature polymerization can occur with 60- 90 seconds of exposure to the

ambient light.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE ABILITY TO
POLYMERISE A RESIN BASED COMPOSITE
1)DEPTH OF CURE

● Within a composite,where insufficient light is delivered,the resin is inadequately

polymerised and the boundary between cured and uncured resin is called depth of
cure.
● In case of poor access to restoration or using more opaque shades,depth of cure is
less.
● Under optimum light cure conditions,
❏ Depth of cure for conventional resin composite =1.5-2 mm
❏ Depth of cure for bulk fill resin composite = 4-6 mm
2) EXPOSURE TIME
● Under optimal conditions using a curing light that delivers 1000
mW/cm2 from an 8- to 10-mm-diameter tip, many resin
composites require a 20-second exposure time typically
(delivering 20 J/cm2) to adequately cure a 2-mm-thick increment
of resin
● Methods to reduce exposure time:-
❏ Increasing concentration of photoinitiator
❏ Reducing concentration of inhibitor
❏ Matching refractive indices of resin and filler
❏ To a limited extent, increasing the irradiance
3) EFFECT OF THICKNESS OF RESTORATIVE MATERIAL
● The no.of photons of light that can reach the depths of
resin depend on many factors
❏ Thickness of resin increment
❏ The refractive indices of resin and filler
❏ The filler content and size
❏ Overall opacity of material
● Even small increase in thickness can have large effect on
amount of transmitted light and polymerization.
4) INTERACTION BETWEEN WAVELENGTH OF LIGHT AND FILLER
PARTICLES
● A/c to Rayleigh scattering—>light scattering is greater when the
filler particle size is equal to or smaller than the wavelength of light
( less than 460 nm or 0.46 microns)
● Shorter wavelength (violet)do not penetrate deeply as much as
longer wavelengths(blue)
● An opaque, but white, shade of composite may require a longer
exposure time than a yellow, but more transparent, shade
● We should follow the resin manufacturer’s instructions due to this.
 5) MATCHING RESIN AND FILLER REFRACTIVE INDICES
● The closer the refractive indices of the resin and the filler are matched,
the better will be the light transmission through the resin composite and
the better the depth of cure.
● If they are perfectly matched, the filler particles will optically disappear,
but increased translucency means resin composite will appear gray in the
mouth.
● In the unpolymerized state, the refractive index of the resin is often
lower than that of the filler,it increases during polymerization.
● As most of the composites become translucent after light curing,shade
selection should not be done using uncured resin,instead use light cured
product.