The effect of bacterial cellulose nanocrystals on the shear bond strength of resin modified glass ionomer cement to dentin

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNC) on the shear bond strength (SBS) of resin modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) to dentin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 48 freshly extracted intact third molars were randomly divided into four main groups with three different concentrations (0.3%, 0.5% and 1% wt) of BCNC with RMGIC and control group without BCNC. These specimens were kept in distilled water at 37° C for 24h. Shear bond strength was examined, using the universal testing machine. Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn`s post-hoc test were applied for analysis of data. P<0.05 was considered as the level of significance. RESULTS: The addition of a 1%wt of BCNC to the RMGIC led to a significant increase in the shear bond strength (7.17 ± 2.14) compared to the control group (2.09 ± 1.80) (P=0.007). The shear bond strength was improved up to 343%. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the incorporation of 1% wt BCNC to the RMGICs enhanced the SBS properties of the RMGIC significantly. Modifying RMGIC with BCNC might be advantageous in terms of improving the restorative material. Key words:Bacterial cellulose nanocrystals, RMGIC, Shear bond strength.