The objective of this work was to evaluate, in cements exclusively used for luting indirect prosthetic works, the effective mechanical improvements of resin modified glass-ionomer compared to those of conventional glass-ionomers. Thermodynamic developments were carried out in order to better understand the glass components making part the glass ionomer cements. The experimental work performed with 3 luting cements (Ketac Cem - ESPE, Fuji Plus - GC and Vitremer - 3M) consisted of characterization of the original cement powders by SEM; determination of the thickness of the luting cement; optical microscopy analysis of the cross sections from cured cement samples; and compression strength tests on cured cement samples. Results of the statistical analyses from data collected on luting cement thickness and on compressive strength of the cements were obtained. The following conclusions were achieved: Vitremer cement thickness is significantly smaller than that of Ketac Cem cement, which in turn is significantly smaller than that of Fuji Plus; the compressive strength of the Fuji Plus cement is significantly higher than that of Vitremer cement, which in turn is significantly higher than that of Ketac Cem cement.
Glass-ionomer cements; luting thickness; compression strength
