CHEMICAL CONCEPTS FOR IMPROVED GLASS IONOMER SYSTEMS

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DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Applicant's Abstract): Currently available glass ionomer formulations have many advantages, including adhesion to tooth structure and fluoride release, that contribute to their increasingly popular use in restorative dentistry and other applications. However, these materials suffer from relatively low compressive, tensile and flexural strengths compared to other longer-lasting restorative materials. The overall goal of this research is to develop polymeric matrix formulations for visible light-cured glass ionomer materials with improved properties. The three Aims are: 1.) to develop optimum backbone formulations with superior properties; 2.) to make these improved formulations curable by visible light and to optimize these formulations; and 3.) to further develop these formulations for additional improvements. The chemical approach that will dominate these physical improvements will focus on improving the copolymer flexibility and the availability of carboxylic acid groups for salt-bridge formation, an approach for which significant strength improvements have been demonstrated. The experimental approach will be to first optimize those compositions known to have maximum flexural strength, then to compare other properties such as working and setting times, tensile and compressive strengths, thermal expansion coefficient, solubility, adhesion to tooth structure, and fluoride release. A commercially available material will be used as control.