Evaluation of the effect of nanofilled resin-based coatings on water sorption and solubility of glass ionomer restorations

Glass ionomer cements are among direct restorative materials which are used in an environment saturated with moisture. Therefore, having the ability to prevent water contamination is crucial. The aim of this study was to determine the water sorption and solubility of five glass ionomer restoratives with and without two nanofilled resin coating agents. Five glass ionomer cements (Fuji BULK/GC, EQUIA Forte Fil/GC, Fuji II LC/GC, riva self cure/SDI, riva light cure/SDI) and two resin-based coating (G-COAT PLUS/GC and EQUIA Forte Coat/GC) were used in this study. Water sorption and solubility were measured in accordance with the ISO 4049's. For each material, 15 disc-shaped specimens were prepared using a polyethelyn mould. The specimens of each material were randomly divided into two groups: 10 coated and 5 uncoated. For the coated groups of each material, 5 specimens were coated with G-COAT PLUS, and 5 with EQUIA Forte Coat. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Two-way ANOVA was applied to investigate if there were any interactions between materials and coatings. One-way ANOVA was used to compare different variables between the materials, and post-hoc Tukey’s test was performed to show significant differences in subgroup comparisons. A significant interaction effect was obsevred between materials and coatings (P<0.05) using two-way ANOVA. The uncoated groups showed higher mean sorption and solubility values compared to the coated groups, and the groups coated by G-COAT PLUS showed less mean sorption and solubility values than that of EQUIA Forte Coat. In general, the lowest mean sorption and solubility values among glass ionomer cements belonged to Fuji BULK. The water sorption and solubility values of glass ionomer cements could be reduced by the use of a protective coating.