Effects of Milling Time, Zirconia Addition, and Storage Environment on the Radiopacity Performance of Mechanically Milled Bi(2)O(3)/ZrO(2) Composite Powders

Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) typically consists of Portland cement (75 wt.%), bismuth oxide (20 wt.%), and gypsum (5 wt.%) and is commonly used as endodontic cement. Bismuth oxide serving as the radiopacifying material reveals the canal filling effect after clinical treatment. In the present study, bismuth/zirconium oxide composite powder was prepared by high energy ball milling of (Bi(2)O(3))(100−x) (ZrO(2))(x) (x = 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.%) powder mixture and used as the radiopacifiers within MTA. The crystalline phases of the as-milled powders were examined by the X-ray diffraction technique. The radiopacities of MTA-like cements prepared by using as-milled composite powders (at various milling stages or different amount of zirconia addition) were examined. In addition, the stability of the as-milled powders stored in an ambient environment, an electronic dry box, or a glove box was investigated. The experimental results show that the as-milled powder exhibited the starting powder phases of Bi(2)O(3) and ZrO(2) and the newly formed δ-Bi(7.38)Zr(0.62)O(2.31) phase. The longer the milling time or the larger the amount of the zirconia addition, the higher the percentage of the δ-Bi(7.38)Zr(0.62)O(2.31) phase in the composite powder. All the MTA-like cements prepared by the as-milled powder exhibited a radiopacity higher than 4 mmAl that is better than the 3 mmAl ISO standard requirement. The 30 min as-milled (Bi(2)O(3))(95)(ZrO(2))(5) composite powder exhibited a radiopacity of 5.82 ± 0.33 mmAl and degraded significantly in the ambient environment. However, storing under an oxygen- and humidity-controlled glove box can prolong a high radiopacity performance. The radiopacity was 5.76 ± 0.08 mmAl after 28 days in a glove box that was statistically the same as the original composite powder.