ABSTRACT
Objectives: The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the surface roughness
and microhardness of three novel resin composites containing nanoparticles after polishing
with one-step and conventional multi-step polishing systems.
Methods: A total of 126 specimens (10 X 2 mm) were prepared in a metal mold using
three nanocomposites (Filtek Supreme XT, Ceram-X, and Grandio), 21 specimens of each
resin composite for both tests (n=63 for each test). Following light curing, seven
specimens from each group received no polishing treatment and served as controls for
both tests. The specimens were randomly polished using PoGo and Sof-Lex systems for
30 seconds after being wet-ground with 1200-grit silicon carbide paper. The mean surface
roughness of each polished specimen was determined with a profilometer. The microhardness
was determined using a Vickers hardness measuring instrument with a 200-g load and
15 seconds dwell time. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the
post hoc Dunn's multiple comparison tests at a significance level of .05.
Results: Among all materials, the smoothest surfaces were obtained under a matrix
strip (control) (P<.05). There were no statistically significant differences among
polishing systems in the resin composites for surface roughness (P>.05). The lowest
hardness values for the three resin composites were obtained with a matrix strip,
and there was a statistically significant difference compared with other polishing
systems (P<.05) whereas no statistically significant differences were observed between
the polishing systems (P<.05).
Conclusion: The current one-step polishing system appears to be as effective as multi-step
systems and may be preferable for polishing resin composite restorations. (Eur J Dent
2012;6:198-205)
Key words
Polishing systems - surface roughness - microhardness - nanocomposites