Glass ionomer cement is a widely used luting agent for indirect restorations but presents inferior mechanical properties compared to resin cement due to its low elastic modulus. This study evaluated the mechanical and adhesion properties of glass ionomer luting cements reinforced with nano-sized hydroxyapatite particles (HA). The nano-sized HA particles were synthesized using the co-precipitation technique and the resulting precipitate was characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), field emission scanning electron (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). HA particles were incorporated into the glass powder (FUJI I, GC) and the luting agent was manipulated in a liquid to powder ratio of 3:1 into 6% by weight after determining the best ratio. The flexural strength of the luting agent and shear bond strength of dentin were analyzed and compared to other luting agents namely, (a) glass ionomer (FUJI I), (b) resin-modified glass ionomer (RelyX Luting Plus) and (c) adhesive resin cement (RelyX U200). Failure types after debonding from dentin were evaluated under SEM. Flexural strength and bond strength data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests (alpha = 0.001). Addition of 6 w % HA particles in the range of 80-150 nm enhanced the flexural strength (30.97 ± 5.9 versus 11.65 ± 5.63) and shear bond strength (0.97 ± 0.41 versus 0.39 ± 0.16) of a conventional glass ionomer luting agent significantly compared to the non-reinforced ones when manipulated at a liquid to powder ratio of 3:1 (P < 0.001). While conventional glass ionomer, HA-reinforced glass ionomer and resin-modified glass ionomer specimens showed exclusively mixed type of failures, adhesive resin cement showed cohesive failures within the resin cement. Increased mechanical and adhesion potential of the experimental glass ionomer luting agent after incorporation of HA particles could expand the scope of application of this cement.
Keywords: Adhesion; Cement; Glass ionomer; Hydroxyapatite; Mechanical properties.