Effect of sports drinks on the surface properties of composite resins after prolonged exposure-in vitro study

Abstract

Aim: Using dietary supplements may affect the properties of composite resins due to their acidic pH. The present in vitro study aimed to assess the surface roughness and color stability of two composite resins-nanohybrid (Empress Direct) and nanoparticulate (Filtek Z350)-after prolonged exposure to dietary supplements. Methods: We produced 30 specimens from each composite (8×2-mm discs) and divided them into six groups (n=10). After the initial measurement of the surface properties (roughness and color), we exposed the specimens to a degradation process in Maltodextrin and Whey Protein for 22.5 and 7.5 days, respectively, using deionized water as the control solution. At the end of 22.5 days, we reassessed the specimens. After verifying data normality with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, we performed ANOVA followed by Tukey's test at 5%. Results: We found significant differences for materials immersed in the Whey Protein solution (p<0.05). The roughness of Empress Direct was higher (0.45+0.07) than Filtek Z350 (0.22+0.05). The composites tested also showed color change (ΔE>3.3) after the immersion period (p<0.001). In Maltodextrin, the Empress Direct group presented (4.52+1.23) and Filtek Z350 (4.04+0.66), while after immersion in Whey Protein, they showed (5.34+1.68) and (4.26+1.02), respectively. Conclusion: Sports drinks changed the surface roughness and color stability of the composite resins studied. The Filtek Z350 group showed lower color variation than the Empress Direct composite in both solutions evaluated.