The effect of pH on solubility of nano-modified endodontic cements

AIMS: To evaluate the effect of storage pH on solubility of white mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA), bioaggregate (BA), and nano WMTA cements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight moulds randomly allocated into three groups of pH 4.4 (group A), 7.4 (group B), and 10.4 (group C); and one empty as control in each group. Each group was further divided into three subgroups according to the material studied; WMTA, BA, and nano WMTA. The specimens in subgroup A were soaked in butyric acid buffered with synthetic tissue fluid (STF) (pH 4.4), while the samples in subgroups B (pH 7.4) and C (pH 10.4) buffered in potassium hydroxide for 24 h and then the loss of cement was determined. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post-hoc statistical tests were used to detect any statistically significant differences among the groups/subgroups. RESULTS: Statistical analysis has showed the highest solubility in acidic pH for all tested materials. Nano WMTA samples in pH = 10.4 had the lowest and BA samples in pH = 4.4 showed the highest cement loss. CONCLUSION: The solubility of all tested cements can be jeopardized in acidic environment which might affect on their sealing characteristic in clinical scenario. However, nano WMTA cement due to its small size particles and different additives was capable of producing lower porosity in set material, which resulted in showing more resistance in acidic environment.