VISCOELASTIC AND FATIGUE PROPERTIES OF DENTAL ADHESIVES AND THEIR IMPACT ON DENTIN-ADHESIVE INTERFACE DURABILITY

Abstract

The clinical performance of composite tooth restoration under cyclic loading is impacted by the behavior of the dentin-adhesive (d-a) interface, which is a complex construct of different material components. Dentin adhesive is a significant material component of the d-a interface. Creep, fatigue and monotonic tests were performed to characterize the mechanical properties of a dentin adhesive in dry and wet conditions. These properties were utilized along with a 3d micromechanical finite element (FE) model to develop a methodology for predicting the durability behavior of the d-a interface. Experimental results showed that the dentin adhesives have rate-dependent behavior and their properties deteriorate in the presence of water. FE calculations showed that, different material components experience different stress concentrations depending upon the microstructure. The durability of the d-a interface was found to be a function of both the microstructure and adhesive properties