The strength of two reinforced glass ionomer materials.

Preformed stainless steel crowns survive longer than multi-surface amalgams on deciduous molars. With the use of reinforced glass ionomers the bulk of the lost tooth structure can be replaced and the stainless steel crown cemented simultaneously. The purpose of this study was to compare two glass ionomer cements with regard to their shear bond strength (SBS) to the dentine of extracted primary molars and to their diametral tensile strength (DTS). The results showed that Vitremer was significantly (p < 0.01) stronger (DTS:x = 19.21; SBS:x = 7.63) than Ketac-Silver (DTS:x = 8.94; SBS:x = 2.92).