Acid Neutralization Capacity of a Tricalcium Silicate-Containing Calcium Phosphate Cement as an Endodontic Material

A calcium phosphate cement (CPC) was shown to have the necessary attributes for endodontic materials except adequate basicity needed for antimicrobial properties. To enhance its basicity, tricalcium silicate (Ca(3)SiO(5)), a highly alkaline compound, was added to CPC at a mass fraction of 0.25, 0.5 or 0.75. The basicity, acid neutralization and physical properties of the CPC-Ca(3)SiO(5) composites were investigated. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) was used as the control. The acid neutralizing capacity of the CPC-Ca(3)SiO(5) composites and MTA were measured by titrating the suspensions of ground set samples with a 0.2 mol / L HCl at predetermined pH levels, i.e., 11, 9.0, and 7.4. The setting time of CPC-Ca(3)SiO(5) composites determined by the Gilmore needle method was 40 ± 10 min. Acid neutralizing capacity of CPC depended (p < 0.05) on Ca(3)SiO(5) content. CPC containing 75 % Ca(3)SiO(5) could neutralize slightly less acid than MTA (p < 0.05), but it had a shorter setting time than that of MTA (> 4 h) and excellent handling properties.