Effects of black tea and coffee on the colour stability of glass ionomer cement-an in vitro study

Abstract

Background: Glass ionomer cements are restorative materials which bind to the surface of the tooth and additionally act as filling materials. The colour of the GIC chosen is subjective to the colour of the tooth. The colour stabilising property refers to the ability of the restorative material to maintain colour irrespective of the environmental changes. GIC also has the ability to resist discoloration when exposed to various liquids in the oral cavity. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of black tea and black coffee on the colour stabilising property of different commercially available glass ionomer cements. Materials and Method: Two commercially available GIC brands-shofu and D-tech, were chosen to test the colour stability of GIC. The GIC pellets were immersed in black tea, black coffee and distilled water for three days and the values from the spectrophotometer were recorded and analysed pre and post immersion. Results: On performing the paired independent sample t test for the different glass ionomer cements used, Shofu brand of glass ionomer cement had low delta E values. The p value was found to be 0.036 for samples immersed in the beverages and the control. It was statistically significant. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the Shofu brand of glass ionomer cement has the highest colour stability, due to their low delta E values. GIC samples stained with black tea were least color stable.