Investigation on hydration process and biocompatibility of calcium silicate-based experimental portland cements

Abstract

In this work, the hydration process and cytotoxicity of lab-synthesized experimental Portland cements (EPCs) were investigated for dental applications. For this purpose, EPCs were prepared using laboratory-synthesized clinker constituents, tricalcium silicate (C3S), dicalcium silicate (C2S), and tricalcium aluminate (C3A). C-A was prepared by the Pechini method, whereas C3S and C2S were synthesized by solid-state reactions. The phase compositions were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and the hydration process of the individual constituents and their combinations, with and without the addition of gypsum, was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Furthermore, four EPC compositions were prepared using the lab-synthesized C-A, C3S, and C2S, and their hydration processes were examined by EIS, and their cytotoxicity to HPC and HIPC cells were tested by performing an XTT assay. None of the EPCs exhibited any significant cytotoxicity for 7 days, and no significant difference was observed in the cell viabilities of ProRoot MTA and EPCs. The results indicated that all the EPCs are sufficiently biocompatible with human dental pulp cells and can be potential substitutes for commercial dental cements.