The success of root canal treatment is dependent on canal debridement, disinfection and impervious obturation of the root canal system. The material most commonly used for root canal obturation is the trans-isomer of isoprene, known as gutta-percha. Limitations of gutta-percha as a root canal obturation material include lack of flexibility and potential for degradation caused by eugenol or other components of root canal sealers and restorative materials. A detailed study on the development, characterisation and in vitro evaluation of a composite, tailor-made to function as a root canal obturation material as well as serve as a “carrier” for delivering a root canal obturation material was undertaken. Polymer composites comprising of low density polyethylene (LDPE), hydroxyapatite (HA) or 45S5 Bioglass® (BAG) and strontium oxide (SrO) were developed via extrusion using a single screw extruder and drawn into the desired shape using appropriate ‘dies’ and optimised based on their physical and mechanical properties. The polyethylene in the composite showed no evidence of degradation post extrusion as confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy, the thermal analysis showed that the HA/PE composites had melting point of 110.5-111.2°C, much higher than that of gutta-percha (52°C). The tensile strength and elastic modulus of the silanated HA/PE composites were significantly higher than those of gutta-percha (p<0.0001) under dry conditions and after storage in simulated body fluid. Furthermore, the interaction of eugenol did not produce any change in the experimental HA/PE composites whereas gutta-percha showed a significant increase in the weight. The radiological contrast of the silanated HA/PE fibres was adequate to allow their use as a root canal obturation material. Bioglass® reinforced low density polyethylene with SrO composites are promising obturation materials for endodontic treatment. They exhibited superior stiffness in comparison to gutta-percha with excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity. An enhanced proliferation of human osteoblast cells was also observed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:638828 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Al-Hashimi, Raghad |
| Publisher | King's College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/fabrication-and-characterisation-of-polymer-composites-for-endodontic-applications(f7284e24-24af-4066-8dc0-3788bea3e109).html |
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