Improvements in strength and setting time of Portland cements (PC) are needed to enhance their performance as endodontic and load bearing materials. This study sought to enhance the compressive strength and setting time of a PC by adding one of the following additives: 20% and 30% poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA), 20% and 30% irregular and spherical amalgam alloys, and 10% CaCl2. The control consisted of unreinforced PC specimens. Setting time was determined using a Gillmore apparatus according to standardized methods while compressive strength was measured using a universal testing machine after 21 hours or 60 days of water storage. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, Tukey and Games-Howell tests (α = 5%). All additives significantly decreased both initial and final setting times as compared with the PC-control (p < .05). 30% PMMA and 30% irregular alloy had the lowest values of initial setting time. 30% irregular alloy also produced the lowest values of final setting time while 30% spherical alloy yielded the highest (p < .05). No differences were detected between the compressive strength values of 21 hours and 60 days. While 10% CaCl2, 20% and 30% PMMA produced values significantly lower than the PC-control, 30% spherical alloy significantly improved the compressive strength of the reinforced PC (p < .05). In summary, all additives significantly reduced the setting time and 30% spherical amalgam alloy yielded a significant increase in compressive strength for the tested PC, which might represent an improved composition for PCs to expand their use as endodontic and potentially load bearing materials.

O objetivo do presente estudo in vitro foi avaliar a dureza Knoop das resinas compostas, uma resina híbrida (Charisma - C) e uma de micropartículas (Durafill VS - D) quando polimerizadas à temperatura ambiente (A) (23 ± 1°C); refrigeradas (4 ± 1°C) e fotoativadas imediatamente após a remoção do refrigerador (0); e refrigeradas (4 ± 1°C), com tempo de espera de 15 min após a remoção do refrigerador para fotoativação (15). Cento e vinte corpos-de-prova com 4 mm de diâmetro por 2 mm de altura foram confeccionados em uma matriz de aço inoxidável. Cada corpo-de-prova foi testado imediatamente após a fotoativação (I) e, após 7 dias de armazenamento (7d) em ambiente escuro com umidade relativa a 100%, à temperatura do ambiente (23 ± 1°C). Quando testada imediatamente após a polimerização, na superfície de topo CAI foi estatisticamente semelhante à C15I e DAI à D15I. Na base, a resina composta CAI, teve maiores valores de dureza quando comparados à COI e C15I. Os grupos do material D não mostraram diferenças significantes com relação ao efeito da refrigeração na base. Sete dias após, os valores de dureza Knoop caíram tanto para C7d quanto para D7d com exceção de C07d que não diferiu de C07d nas diferentes superfícies, e D07d que mostrou maiores valores de dureza no topo.

This in vitro study evaluated the Knoop hardness of the composite resins Charisma® (C) and Durafill VS® (D) polymerized in 3 different conditions: at room temperature (A) (23 ± 1°C); refrigerated at 4 ± 1°C and immediately photo-activated after removal from the refrigerator (0); and, refrigerated at 4 ± 1°C and photo-activated after a bench time of 15 min at room temperature (15). One hundred and twenty specimens (4 mm diameter and 2 mm depth) were made using a stainless steel mold and following manufacturer's instructions. All specimens were tested immediately after polymerization (I) and after 7 days of water storage in the dark at room temperature (7d). The data were subjected to ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey's test (a=0.05). On the top surface, CAI was statistically similar to C15I and DAI to D15I (p>0.05). On the bottom surface, CAI presented higher hardness values when compared to COI and C15I (p<0.05). The D groups showed no significant differences (p>0.05) on the bottom surfaces for any tested polymerization condition. After 7 days of storage, the Knoop hardness decreased significantly (p<0.05) for groups C7d and D7d except for C07d, which was not different from COI at either surface (p>0.05). D07d showed higher Knoop hardness (p<0.05) values on the top surface when compared to the other groups.