Effect of Dietary Simulating Solvents on the CAD-CAM Provisional Restorative Materials' Microhardness and Color Stability Properties: An in vitro Study.

PURPOSE

This in vitro study investigated the effects of dietary solvents on the microhardness and color stability of CAD/CAM provisional restorations compared to conventional materials.

METHODS

Disc-shaped specimens (n=200) were fabricated from self-cured acrylic resin, two 3D-printing resins (FormLabs, NextDent), and a milled material (TelioCAD). Randomization assigned specimens (n=10/group) to immersion solutions: artificial saliva, citric acid, heptane, coffee, and tea. Microhardness and color stability were evaluated. One-way and three-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test analyzed the data.

RESULTS

Dietary solvents significantly reduced the surface microhardness of all tested materials (p<0.05). Unpolished surfaces exhibited greater color changes compared to polished ones (p<0.05) across all materials. Coffee and tea induced the most substantial reductions in hardness and the most significant color alterations (p<0.05), whereas saliva and citric acid had minimal effects.

CONCLUSION

Milled provisional restorations exhibited superior hardness and color stability. Dietary solvents significantly affected material properties over time, highlighting the importance of material selection for clinical applications.