Swati Mohanty, Sindhu Ramesh

Abstract

Numerous restorative materials have been used in dentistry to achieve adequate strength as well as esthetics. Dental amalgam has been used for decades now, owing to its superior mechanical properties, but it is unesthetic. Composites, on the other hand, are esthetic but exhibit polymerization shrinkage and microleakage. To overcome all these drawbacks, a new restorative material, Zirconomer has been introduced. The aim is to evaluate and compare the fracture resistance of conventional posterior restorative materials, dental amalgam, and bulk-fill composite with a novel posterior restorative material Zirconomer. A total of 15 pellets, 5 pellets of each of the 3 groups, were fabricated using a stainless-steel die with the required specifications. Group 1 - dental amalgam, Group 2 - Zirconomer, and Group 3 - bulk fill composite. All the samples were subjected to compression testing using a universal testing machine, and the values were obtained. Statistical analysis with one-way ANOVA was done. Composite resin (bulk fill) can withstand higher compressive stress (statistically significant) when compared to dental amalgam and Zirconomer. The difference in compressive stress that Zirconomer can withstand when compared to dental amalgam is statistically insignificant. Zirconomer can be used as a potential posterior restorative material of choice.