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F C Eichmiller

Publications and source records attributed to F C Eichmiller.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Indentation creep behavior of a direct-filling silver alternative to amalgam.

Amalgam creep has been identified as a key parameter associated with marginal breakdown and corrosion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the time-dependent deformation (creep) of a novel silver filling material as an alternative to amalgam. We made the silver specimens by pressing a precipitated powder at room temperature to a density that can be achieved in clinical hand consolidation. The surface of the silver was either polished or burnished. To examine local contact creep and the effect of surface finishing, we used an indentation creep method in which a Vickers indenter was loaded on the specimen surface at a load of 10 N with dwell times of 5 sec to 6x10(4) sec. We used a bonded-interface technique to examine subsurface creep mechanisms. The flexural strength (mean+/-SD; n = 10) was 86+/-20 MPa for amalgam, 180+/-21 MPa for polished silver, and 209+/-19 MPa for burnished silver-values which are significantly different from each other (family confidence coefficient = 0.95; Tukey's multiple-comparison test). Indentation creep manifested as hardness number decreasing with increased dwell time. With dwell time increasing from 5 sec to 6x10(4) sec, the hardness number of amalgam was reduced by approximately 80%; that of the polished silver and the burnished silver was reduced by only 40%. Subsurface creep in amalgam consisted of the shape change of the alloy particles from spherical to elongated shapes, and the separation of matrix grains from each other, possibly due to grain-boundary sliding. Creep of the polished silver occurred by densification reducing porosity and increasing hardness; that of the burnished silver occurred by the displacement of the burnished layer. These results suggest that, due to creep-induced subsurface work-hardening and densification, the consolidated silver exhibits a higher resistance to indentation creep than does amalgam. The hardness number of silver approaches that of amalgam after prolonged indentation loading.

Analysis of Variance↗

Promising new dental materials on the horizon.

The rapidly evolving field of materials science is providing dentistry with new treatments and alternatives. Calcium phosphate materials are under development for bone repair and replacement, root surface desensitization, and for caries prevention, by greatly increasing the remineralizing efficiency of fluorides. Composites fabricated from calcium phosphates and polymers may have application as pulp capping and cavity-basing materials. An alternative to mercury dental amalgam is being investigated; it is composed of silver powders that are cold-welded in the presence of a dilute acid. These materials are only a few of the technologies that may profoundly affect the future delivery of dental care.

Animals↗

New surface-active comonomer for adhesive bonding.

Previous studies have indicated that chemical and physical characteristics of aromatic amines can be influenced by the nature of their substituents. The experimental question examined in the present study relates to the effects of replacing specific hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a surface-active comonomer utilized in adhesive bonding protocols. N-2-propionic acid-N-3-(2-hydroxy-1-methacryloxy)propyl-3,5-dimethylaniline sodium salt (N35A) was synthesized by an addition reaction of glycidyl methacrylate with the sodium salt of N-reaction of glycidyl methacrylate with the sodium salt of N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)alanine, which was formed by alkaline hydrolysis of ethyl-N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)alanate that was prepared by condensation of ethyl-2-bromopropionate with 3,5-dimethylaniline. 1H and 13C NMR spectra and analysis by mass spectroscopy were consistent with N35A after it had been recrystallized from acetone. Color stability and adhesion-promoting capability of N35A were compared with those of N-2-acetic acid-N-3-(2-hydroxy-1-methacryloxy)propyl-4-methylanaline sodium salt (Na-NTG-GMA), the latter being widely used in commercial bonding formulations. Both N35A and Na-NTG-GMA polymerized within a few minutes at 23 degrees C when dissolved in aliquots from a stock solution containing benzene 85 wt%, ethanol 14 wt%, and benzoyl peroxide 1.0 wt%; but with each at 0.018 molal concentration, the N35A suspension was more color-stable than that of the Na-NTG-GMA. In the protocol used, shear bond strengths of a hybrid composite to human dentin with N35A were 30.2 MPa, SD = 7.5 MPa, and with Na-NTG-GMA, 29.7 MPa, SD = 11.8 MPa(n = 7 each; t test, p = 0.93).

Adhesiveness↗

Surface roughness of glass-ceramic insert-composite restorations: assessing several polishing techniques.

The authors compared the effectiveness of seven polishing methods on glass-ceramic insert-composite restorations placed in plastic resin squares. The polishing methods used carbide dental finishing burs and diamond polishing paste, diamond abrasive finishing burs and diamond polishing paste, diamond abrasive finishing burs and composite resin finishing disks, diamond abrasive finishing burs and composite resin polishing points, diamond abrasive finishing burs only, diamond abrasive finishing burs followed by resin impregnated disks and an aluminum oxide polishing abrasive paste, and diamond abrasive finishing burs followed by diamond polishing paste. All systems achieved comparable smoothness except the carbide finishing burs, which damaged the insert-composite margin.

Acrylic Resins↗

Posterior restorative materials research.

Novel materials and cutting-edge technologies developed at the American Dental Association Dental Health Foundation Center of Excellence for Materials Science Research are discussed. Some of these materials have already entered mainstream clinical practice, others are undergoing clinical trials and some are still being developed. The search for better posterior restorative materials continues.

Bicuspid↗

Direct metallic amalgam alternative: a research update.

Discussions between two group leaders at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) led to the suggestion that a mercury-free, silver-based material could be used for dental direct-filling applications. This concept brought about a new approach that, nonetheless, is still based on powder technology such as amalgams. The resulting material also retains the tin and silver components of conventional amalgams. The condensation of a loose powder mixture into a cohesive solid relies, however, on cold-welding across atomically clean silver-silver interfaces after a mild acid treatment of the surfaces. The National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) and American Dental Association Health Foundation (ADAHF) became involved in the research in 1992, and ADAHF scientists continue to collaborate with NIST metallurgists and electrochemists toward the further development of this promising new technology.

Dental Amalgam↗

An esthetic glass-ceramic for use in composite restoration inserts.

The objective of the preliminary work reported here was to prepare an improved formulation of intrinsically colored microcrystalline glass-ceramic. Applications could include "megafillers" for direct composite restorations, precision castings, and CAD-CAM prostheses. The experimental glass-ceramic reported here contained SiO2 56.9, AI2O3 19, LiO2 7, ZnO 6, MgO 5, TiO22, ZrO22, P2O52, and CeO20.1 mole%. The batch materials were melted and stirred at 1,610 degrees C for 2 h, quenched in water and also formed into a block of a clear, slightly yellow glass. To identify the crystalline phases that developed during transformation of the glass to the ceramic, x-ray diffraction was used on ten aliquots taken during 15 h of stepwise heating from 750 to 1050 degrees C. With heating, the yellow color deepened to a very translucent "dark yellow" dental shade, then lightened with gradually increasing opacity during formation of secondary crystalline phases. X-ray opacity was approximately equivalent to that of dental enamel. The refractive index of the glass, nD1.554, increased during nucleation and growth of the crystalline phases to a maximum of 1.586. Intrinsic coloration of these glass-ceramic materials can be controlled by varying the heat treatment and/or composition to match typical dental shades.

Ceramics↗

Effects of surface-active resins on dentin/composite bonds.

Effective dentin bonding systems based on para-PMDM diadduct of pyromellitic dianhydride and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) have been developed (Bowen et al., 1982). Para-PMDM, a solid of limited solubility, is usually applied from an acetone solution to dentin that has been preconditioned with acid and N-phenylglycine. The feasibility of using a liquid, surface-active bonding resin to substitute for or to supplement para-PMDM was explored. Mono(2-methacryloyloxy)ethyl phthalate (MMEP), a liquid, monofunctional homolog of para-PMDM (derived from the reaction of phthalic anhydride with HEMA) was used to formulate several bonding resin systems and solutions. Dentin surfaces were pretreated according to several variations of a three-step bonding protocol involving sequential application of 6.8 w/o ferric oxalate in 2.5 w/o HNO3, N-phenylglycine in acetone, and an experimental bonding resin before placement of a chemically cured composite restorative material. Tensile bond strengths were tested after 24 h storage in distilled water at 23 degrees C. The results suggest that solutions based on MMEP and/or para-PMDM in acetone or in other monomers, especially those containing HEMA, can effectively promote bonding to dentin. A new mechanism for the observed self-polymerization of MMEP or para-PMDM with N-phenylglycine is proposed.

Acetone↗

Effect of three sterilization techniques on finger pluggers.

The effects of different sterilization methods on the fatigue life of finger pluggers were investigated. Ninety finger pluggers for each of four sizes (A, B, C, and D) were subdivided into subgroups of 10. Each subgroup was subjected to 1, 8, or 15 cycles of steam autoclave, dry heat, or bead sterilization. Ten control pluggers for each size were not sterilized. After sterilization, experimental and control finger pluggers were subjected to cyclic bending until fracture. Only the A finger pluggers autoclaved for eight cycles had a significantly lower number of cycles to failure compared with that of the controls. Nine subgroups had significantly greater number of cycles before failure than did the control. Because all but one sterilized group had fatigue lifetimes statistically equal to or greater than nonsterilized controls, clinicians generally can use any of the three sterilization methods without fear of plugger failure.

Analysis of Variance↗

Measurement of absorbed doses near metal and dental material interfaces irradiated by x- and gamma-ray therapy beams.

Soft-tissue damage adjacent to dental restorations is a deleterious side effect of radiation therapy which is associated with low-energy electron scatter from dental materials of high electron density. This study was designed to investigate the enhancement of dose to soft tissue (or water) close to high electron-density materials and to measure the detailed lateral and depth-dose profiles in soft-tissue-simulating polymer adjacent to planar interfaces of several higher atomic-number materials: 18-carat gold dental casting alloy; Ag-Hg dental amalgam alloy; Ni-Cr dental casting alloy; and natural human tooth structure. Interleaved stacks of calibrated thin radiochromic dosimeter films and tissue-simulating polymer were used for these measurements. Assemblies of these polymer-dosimeter stacks on both sides of the dental materials were irradiated in one fixed direction by collimated 60Co gamma-ray or 10 MV x-ray beams directed perpendicularly to the material interfaces. In another test, designed to simulate more closely therapeutic treatment conditions, a phantom constructed on both sides of a row of restored and unrestored whole teeth (restoration materials: gold alloy crown; Ni-Cr alloy crown; Ag-Hg mesial-occlusal-distal (MOD) amalgam filling; unrestored tooth) was irradiated in one fixed direction by the collimated photon beams. Results indicate that the dose-enhancement in 'tissue' is as great as a factor of 2 on the backscatter side adjacent to gold and a factor of 1.2 adjacent to tooth tissue, but is insignificant on the forward-scatter side because of the predominant effect of attenuation by the high-density, high atomic-number absorbing material.

Chromium Alloys↗

Mechanically-induced generation of radicals in tooth enamel.

Mechanical instrumentation of enamel leads to the formation of long-lived free radicals that can be conveniently measured by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Powdered enamel tissue exhibited EPR signals remarkably similar to the radicals formed by ionizing radiation. The observations described below lead to the conclusion that physical stress will induce a free-radical formation in dental tissues. These observations have significance for other areas of study such as dosimetry and archeological dating.

Dental Enamel↗

Clinical biocompatibility of an experimental dentine-enamel adhesive for composites.

Previous studies have shown that sequential application of an acidified solution of ferric oxalate, N-phenylglycine and PMDM (the reaction product of pyromellitic dianhydride and hydroxyethyl methacrylate) yields strong adhesive bonding of composite resins to both dentine and enamel. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and the biocompatibility of this system in human teeth scheduled for extraction in the course of orthodontic treatment. Controls were light-cured Scotch-bond or ZOE in contralateral teeth. Evaluation criteria, which included clinical feasibility, patient acceptability, retention, margin aesthetics and human pulp response, were met. Within the 4-241 day observation periods, there was no postoperative sensitivity, pain, loss of retention, staining or discolouration. All pulp responses (double-blind pulp analysis including all teeth) were acceptable. With mean (+/- SD) remaining dentine thickness (RDT) of 0.67 +/- 0.35 mm, all indicators of pulp inflammation (displacement, superficial response, deep response etc.) averaged between none and slight, under 1 on a 0-4 scale. Both controls gave similar results. Linear regression analysis indicated low responses at all RDTs. The experimental material is safe and effective; further unrestricted clinical evaluations in teeth to be retained are indicated.

Adhesives↗

Metal-polysiloxane shields for radiation therapy of maxillo-facial tumors.

In the treatment of some head and neck lesions with high-intensity radiation (teletherapy), an essential procedure is the application of an individually customized shielding appliance, which is designed, modeled, and formed into a working extra- or intraoral stent for the purpose of sparing healthy tissues. The present state of the art is slow and technique intensive, which can add to patient discomfort and inconvenience during molding and fabrication. A new formulation is described, which offers speed and ease of forming a moldable composite stent especially for intraoral use. Interleaved stacks of calibrated thin radiochromic film strips and soft-tissue-simulating plastic (polystyrene) layers gave a means of mapping one- or two-dimensional profiles of dose distributions adjacent to the high-density shielding materials using a spectrophotometer equipped with a gel scanner or a scanning laser-beam microdensitometer. Tests using collimated gamma-ray beams from a 60Co teletherapy unit were made in order to measure the dose distribution near interfaces of tissue-simulating polymer and the composite stent material with and without mixtures of metals (Ag-Cu and Sn-Sb). These results show that quickly formed composites made of a flexible resin with high concentrations of powdered spherical metal alloys provide effective custom-designed shielding, and, with a thin overlayer of the resin without metal, a diminished back-scattered radiation dose to normal tissues. An example of a successful formulation is a mixture of 90% by weight Ag-Cu alloy powder in a vinyl polysiloxane resin. This material is a moldable putty which, upon polymerization, forms a rigid elastomeric material, providing a half-value layer of approximately 2.5 to 2.8 cm for a gamma-ray beam from a 60Co source.

Alloys↗