Physical Properties of MTA

Abstract

The two versions of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA; gray and white) have enjoyed clinical success in endodontics since 1995. The grayness of GMTA arises from the presence of an iron-containing compound, tetracalcium-aluminoferrite in Portland cement. To distinguish between the two materials, this chapter refers to the gray and white versions of MTA as GMTA and WMTA, respectively. When comparing pH values of GMTA with WMTA, the white material has been reported to display significantly higher pH values over an extended period of time following mixing. The radiopacity of MTA is determined using the method described by ISO 6876. The chapter discusses various types of strength such as compressive strength, flexural strength, shear strength, push-out strength, and shear bond strength. The structural characteristics, as well as the dominance of released calcium ions, are identical to those displayed by both GMTA and WMTA.