Determination of residual monomers in dental pit and fissure sealants using food/oral simulating fluids

Specimens were cured by using a 1 mm (thickness) x 5 mm (diameter) teflon m old, and were immersed in artificial saliva and in 75% ethanol for 1, 7, 14 , 21 and 28 days in order to quantify and to identify toxic components and to determine any degradation byproducts of Bis-GMA that might be: released from five commercially available resin-based dental sealants. In artificial saliva, the only released component was triethylene glycol dimethacylate ( TEGDMA). In 75% ethanol, TEGDMA, 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxyprop oxy) phenyl]propane (Bis-GMA) and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) were relea sed highly at the initial stage, indicating that the amount of component re leased is not linearly correlated with the immersion time. The amount of re leased TEGDMA was found to be much higher in 75% ethanol than in artificial saliva. Importantly, bisphenol-A (BPA) was detected from all the uncured s ealants tested, suggesting that all the sealants tested contain BPA as a co ntaminant.