Coating glass-ionomer cements with a nanofilled resin

Objectives. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a nanofilled resin coat on the flexural strength (FS) and the early wear (after 50 000 and 200 000 cycles) of the glass-ionomer cements Fuji IX GP Extra (FIXE) and Ketac Molar Aplicap (KM). Materials and methods. Specimens were prepared and half of them were coated with G-Coat plus. The uncoated specimens were used as controls. Flexural strength (n = 10) was evaluated after 24 h using a 3-point bending test on a universal testing machine (ISO 9917-2). Wear (n = 20) was evaluated after 50 000 and 200 000 cycles using the ACTA wear machine. One-way, two-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc tests were used to analyze differences in FS and wear. Results. For FIXE the coat significantly increased the FS and the wear along the two time spans. KM did not show a significant difference in FS with the coat. Improvements in wear were observed only after 50 000 cycles. Conclusion. Based on these laboratory results, it is concluded that G-coat Plus is indicated in association with GP IX Extra with the aim to improve the mechanical properties of the former. However, this study is limited to a short-term observation.