Flexural strength and modulus of a novel ceramic restorative cement intended for posterior restorations as determined by a three-point bending test.

The aim of this study was to compare a new restorative cement intended for posterior restorations, Doxadent, with other types of tooth-colored materials as regards flexural strength and flexural modulus. The new restorative material consists mainly of calcium aluminate. Four hybrid resin composites, one polyacid-modified resin composite, one resin-modified glass ionomer cement, one conventional glass ionomer cement, one zinc phosphate cement, and an experimental version as well as the marketed version of Doxadent were investigated. Flexural strength and flexural modulus were tested according to ISO standard 4049 and determined after 1 d, 1 week, and 2 weeks. Together with the zinc phosphate cement, Doxadent had the lowest flexural strengths (13-22 MPa). The strongest materials were the resin composites and the polyacid-modified resin composite (83-136 MPa). The highest flexural modulus was found for Doxadent (17-19 GPa). The flexural strength of Doxadent decreased significantly from 1 week to 2 weeks, while flexural modulus remained unchanged. The other materials reacted in different ways to prolonged water storage. It can be concluded that the restorative cement Doxadent had significantly lower flexural strength and significantly higher flexural modulus than today's materials used for direct posterior restorations.