Challenges in experimental evaluation of morphological, chemo-mechanical and adhesive properties of glass-ionomer based dental materials

Abstract

Changes in composition and new material characteristics require verification in clinical and experimental studies. Investigating glass-ionomer cements under laboratory conditions encounters problems in interpreting the results and in comparing them with other types of materials tested in the same way. As the connection between the glass-ionomer cements and the dental tissues is delicate, it is often the case that the impact of fractures and other artifacts is either underestimated or over-dimensioned when interpreting the results. A critical review was performed, with defining the main problems regarding the usage of SEM, EDX and nanoindentation techniques in glass-ionomer based materials evaluation.