BIOCOMPATIBILITY OF VARIOUS LIGHT-CURING AND ONE CONVENTIONAL GLASS-IONOMER CEMENT

The purpose of this study was to determine and to compare the cellular compatibility of modern light-curing (lc) glass-ionomer cements (GICs ) to one conventional (co) GIG. The following materials were investiga ted: Ionoseal(TM) (IS, lc) (VOCO, Germany), Vitrebond(TM) (VB, Ic) (3M , USA), Compoglass(TM) (CG, lc) (Vivadent, FL) and Ketac Fil Applicap( TM) (KF, co) (ESPE, Germany). From all GICs, equally sized specimens ( height 2 mm, diameter 5 mm) were polymerized or set according to the i nstructions of the manufacturers. Various extracts of all specimens we re obtained by subsequent elutions. Human primary fibroblasts of the a ttached gingiva (HGF) and permanent mouse fibroblasts (3T3) were used for the experiments. HGF and 3T3 cells were exposed to the extracts of all materials for 48 h. Growth inhibition due to cytotoxic effects wa s determined by staining the cultures with Hoechst(TM) 33342 (determin ation of DNA and cell vitality). It was found that the material CG ind uced no growth inhibition in any of the assays. Proliferation of HGF w as not, or only slightly, inhibited by the extracts of the materials l S and KF, whereas severe alterations were caused by the extracts of th e material VB. Growth of 3T3 cells was only moderately or slightly red uced by the extracts of materials IS and KF respectively, but was seve rely or totally inhibited by all extracts of VB. From our results we c onclude that the GIC VB is very cytotoxic and therefore may also induc e alterations in vivo. All other investigated GICs revealed excellent (CG), or good (IS, KF) cellular compatibility. (C) 1998 Published by E lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.