Color Stability of Pediatric Restorative Material Over Pediatric Drug Formulation

Aim: To investigate the color stability of light-cured (LC) restorative material in different pediatric drug formulations. Method: Two distinct restorative materials, specifically LC resin and LC glass ionomer cement (GIC), were employed to create 88 disc-shaped specimens. These comprised 44 specimens fabricated from each material. Each specimen had a diameter of 5 mm and a height of 3 mm. To conduct the experiment, specimens were randomly allocated into four experimental groups, each containing 11 specimens made of each material. This division was accomplished through the use of a stratified random sampling method. The five experimental groups and their respective liquid medications were as follows: Group 1 - montelukast sodium and levocetirizine dihydrochloride syrup, Group 2 - cefixime, Group 3 - sodium valproate, and Group 4 - metronidazole. To ensure thorough exposure to the medications, all samples underwent a two-minute agitation cycle, which was repeated every 12 h over the course of one week. Following the immersion period, the color stability of all specimens was assessed using a spectrophotometer. The data obtained from the color stability measurements were subjected to statistical analysis using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a post hoc test. The aim was to determine whether significant differences in color stability were observed among the groups studied. Results: The mean values and standard deviations of ΔE were calculated. The highest values of ΔE were observed in Group 3 (4.70 ± 1.89), followed by Group 4 (4.04 ± 2.10). Conversely, the lowest ΔE values were observed in Group 2 (3.23 ± 2.02) and Group 1 (3.24 ± 2.31). The calculated p-value was 0.298, and the F-value was 1.269. Conclusion: This study concludes that both restorative materials, LC composite and LC GIC, are susceptible to discoloration. Sodium valproate exhibited the greatest staining effect on both materials. Conversely, cefixime had the least impact on the color of the LC composite, whereas montelukast had the least effect on the color of LC GIC.