Refractive indices of unfilled resin mixtures and cured composites related to color and translucency of conventional and low-shrinkage composites

Abstract

This study correlated the refractive indices (RIs) of unfilled resin mixtures and resin-based composites (RBCs) with color and translucency of conventional and low-shrinkage RBCs. Unfilled resin mixtures based on different ratios of conventional monomers Bisphenol A-glycidyl-methacrylate (BisGMA)/triethyleneglycol-dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and urethane-dimethacrylate (UDMA)/TEGDMA and a low-shrinkage monomer FIT-852 (FIT, Esstech Inc.)/TEGDMA were used to prepare model RBCs, containing 30 wt % of the organic matrix and 70 wt % of silanated barium-glass fillers (n=1.553, Esstech Inc.). The RIs of resins were measured on an ABBE refractometer, those of cured RBCs using the Becke-line method in immersion oils. Color and translucency were determined using an AvaSpec-2048 (Avantes BV) spectrometer. The RIs of unfilled resin mixtures decreased with increasing amounts of TEGDMA. Cured RBCs had higher RIs than their respective resin mixtures. BisGMA-based composites were more translucent with significantly lower L* values than FIT- and UDMA-based RBCs. The RIs of unfilled resins positively correlated with cured RBCs (p=0.001), as did the RIs with translucency (p=0.001) and color (p=0.008). Resin mixtures and corresponding RBCs based on UDMA and its modified low-shrinkage version, FIT, showed similar optical properties. The RIs of unfilled resins appeared to be good predictors of the RIs of cured RBCs.