The effect of polystyrene addition in characteristics of zinc oxide eugenol dental cement

Abstract

Zinc oxide-eugenol cements are easier to be tolerated by tissue than other dental materials. They could relieve pain, antibacterial and antiseptic. The cements provide better sealing properties than other type of cements. They used as temporary filling materials, gingival dressings due to their poor mechanic properties. In order to increase the mechanical properties and to reduce solubility of this cement,the additive must be added in the composition of this cement. This study used dental materials, namely zinc oxide eugenol dental cement and polystyrene additives. The sample used in this study was made of the dental cement composition of zinc oxide eugenol cement without the addition of additives polystyrene and with the addition of 2%, 5% and 10% variations of polystyrene.The results of the tensile strength test and compressive strength test are showed that the larger the percentage of polystyrene additives added to the samples, the greater the two parameters of mechanical strength. This result was in accordance with microstructure characteristic using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) which showed that the greater the percentage of the polystyrene additive, the more subtle the connection between the cement and the teeth.