Meta-analytical analysis on components released from resin-based dental materials

OBJECTIVES: Resin-based materials are applied in every branch of dentistry. Due to their tendency to release substances in the oral environment, doubts have been raised about their actual safety. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the last decade literature regarding the concentrations of elutable substances released from dental resin-based materials in different type of solvents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All the literature published on dental journals between January 2010 and April 2022 was searched using international databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science). Due to strict inclusion criteria, only 23 papers out of 877 were considered eligible. The concentration of eluted substances related to surface and volume of the sample was analyzed, considering data at 24 h as a reference. The total cumulative release was examined as well. RESULTS: The most eluted substances were HEMA, TEGDMA, and BPA, while the less eluted were Bis-GMA and UDMA. Organic solvents caused significantly higher release of substances than water-based ones. A statistically significant inverse correlation between the release of molecules and their molecular mass was observed. A statistically significant positive correlation between the amount of released molecule and the specimen surface area was detected, as well as a weak positive correlation between the release and the specimen volume. CONCLUSIONS: Type of solvent, molecular mass of eluates, and specimen surface and volume affect substances release from materials. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: It could be advisable to rely on materials based on monomers with a reduced elution tendency for clinical procedures. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00784-022-04625-4.