The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of dentin roughening and the type of composite resin used (either bulk-fill flowable or nanohybrid) on the restoration of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) with an 18-month follow-up period.

This prospective split-mouth study included 36 patients, each with a minimum of 4 NCCLs. For each patient, 4 types of restorations were performed: unroughened dentin with nanohybrid composite, unroughened dentin with bulk-fill flowable composite, roughened dentin with nanohybrid composite, and roughened dentin with bulk-fill flowable composite. A universal bonding agent (Tetric N Bond Universal) was applied in self-etch mode for all groups. The restorations were subsequently evaluated at 6, 12, and 18 months in accordance with the criteria set by the FDI World Dental Federation. Inferential statistics were computed using the Friedman test, with the level of statistical significance established at 0.05.

The 4 groups exhibited no significant differences in relation to fracture and retention, marginal staining, marginal adaptation, postoperative hypersensitivity, or the recurrence of caries at any follow-up point.

Within the limitations of the present study, over an 18-month follow-up period, no significant difference was present in the clinical performance of bulk-fill flowable and nanohybrid composite restorations of non-carious cervical lesions. This held true regardless of whether dentin roughening was performed.

This study aimed to assess the clinical longevity of a bulk-fill resin composite in Class II restorations for 3-year.

Patient record files acquired from the 40 patients who were treated due to needed 2 similar sizes Class II composite restorations were used for this retrospective study. In the experimental cavity, the flowable resin composite SDR was inserted in the dentinal part as a 4 mm intermediate layer. A 2 mm coverage layer with a nano-hybrid resin composite (CeramX) was placed on SDR. The control restoration was performed by an incremental technique of 2 mm using the nano-hybrid resin composite. The restorations were blindly assessed by 2 calibrated examiners using modified United States Public Health Service criteria at baseline and 1, 2, and 3 years. The data were analyzed using non-parametric tests (p = 0.05).

Eighty Class II restorations were evaluated. After 3-years, 4 restorations (5%) failed, 1 SDR + CeramX, and 3 CeramX restorations. The annual failure rate (AFR) of the restorations was 1.7%. The SDR + CeramX group revealed an AFR of 0.8%, and the CeramX group an AFR of 2.5% (p > 0.05). Regarding anatomical form and marginal adaptation, significant alterations were observed in the CeramX group after 3-years (p < 0.05). The changes in the color match were observed in each group over time (p < 0.05).

The use of SDR demonstrated good clinical durability in deep Class II resin composite restorations.

This study aimed to compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of a self-adhering flowable composite (Dyad Flow) and a bulk-fill flowable composite (Smart Dentin Replacement [SDR]) to several pulp-capping materials, including MTA Plus, Dycal, Biodentine, and TheraCal.

Eighty acrylic blocks with 2-mm-deep central holes that were 4 mm in diameter were prepared and divided into 2 groups (n = 40 each) according to the composite used (Dyad Flow or SDR). They were further divided into 4 sub-groups (n = 10 each) according to the pulp-capping agent used. SBS was tested using a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. Data were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance. A p value of < 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.

A statistically significant difference (p = 0.040) was found between Dyad Flow and SDR in terms of bond strength to MTA Plus, Dycal, Biodentine, and TheraCal.

Among the 8 sub-groups, the combination of TheraCal and SDR exhibited the highest SBS.

This study aimed to evaluate the color stability of bulk-fill and nanohybrid resin-based composites polished with 3 different, multistep, aluminum-oxide impregnated finishing and polishing disks.

Disk-shaped specimens (8 mm in diameter and 4 mm in thickness) were light-cured between two glass slabs using one nanohybid bulk-fill (Tetric EvoCeram, Ivoclar Vivadent), one micro-hybrid bulk-fill (Quixfil, Dentsply), and two nanohybrid incremental-fill (Filtek Ultimate, 3M ESPE; Herculite XRV Ultra, Kerr) resin-based composites, and aged by thermocycling (between 5 - 55℃, 3,000 cycles). Then, they were divided into subgroups according to the polishing procedure as SwissFlex (Coltène/Whaledent), Optidisc (Kerr), and Praxis TDV (TDV Dental) (n = 12 per subgroup). One surface of each specimen was left unpolished. All specimens were immersed in coffee solution at 37℃. The color differences (ΔE) were measured after 1 and 7 days of storage using a colorimeter based on CIE Lab system. The data were analyzed by univariate ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, and Friedmann tests (α = 0.05).

Univariate ANOVA detected significant interactions between polishing procedure and composite resin and polishing procedure and storage time (p < 0.05). Significant color changes were detected after 1 day storage in coffee solution (p < 0.05), except Quixfil/Optidisc which was color-stable after 7 days (p > 0.05). Polishing reduced the discoloration resistance of Tetric EvoCeram/SwissFlex, Tetric EvoCeram/Praxis TDV, Quixfil-SwissFlex, and all Herculite XRV Ultra groups after 7 days storage (p < 0.05).

Discoloration resistance of bulk-fill resin-based composites can be significantly affected by the polishing procedures.

This study evaluated the effects of the resin thickness on the microhardness and optical properties of bulk-fill resin composites.

Four bulk-fill (Venus Bulk Fill, Heraeus Kulzer; SDR, Dentsply Caulk; Tetric N-Ceram Bulk Fill, Ivoclar vivadent; SonicFill, Kerr) and two regular resin composites (Charisma flow, Heraeus Kulzer; Tetric N-Ceram, Ivoclar vivadent) were used. Sixty acrylic cylindrical molds were prepared for each thickness (2, 3 and 4 mm). The molds were divided into six groups for resin composites. The microhardness was measured on the top and bottom surfaces, and the colors were measured using Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) L^*a^*b^* system. Color differences according to the thickness and translucency parameters and the correlations between the microhardness and translucency parameter were analyzed. The microhardness and color differences were analyzed by ANOVA and Scheffe's post hoc test, and a student t-test, respectively. The level of significance was set to α = 0.05.

The microhardness decreased with increasing resin thickness. The bulk-fill resin composites showed a bottom/top hardness ratio of almost 80% or more in 4 mm thick specimens. The highest translucency parameter was observed in Venus Bulk Fill. All resin composites used in this study except for Venus Bulk Fill showed linear correlations between the microhardness and translucency parameter according to the thickness.

Within the limitations of this study, the bulk-fill resin composites used in this study can be placed and cured properly in the 4 mm bulk.