Influence of pH Cycling on Erosive Wear and Color Stability of High-Viscosity Glass Ionomer Cements

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate erosive wear and change in color of high-viscosity glass ionomer cements after pH cycling in two erosive media. There were 3 experimental groups with 22 samples each, (I) EQUIA Forte HT without coat, (II) Fuji IX and (III) Ketac Universal Aplicap. Each group was randomly divided into three subgroups (n = 6-8) further exposed to different environments, (1) distilled water, (2) green tea (pH 3.78) and (3) Aceto balsamico vinegar (pH 3.0). Mass and L* a* b* values were recorded before and after pH cycling. The samples in subgroups 2 and 3 were exposed to the acidic media two times a day for 10 min, over a period of 14 days. The differences among materials and erosive effects of the three media were tested using three-way analyses of variance with post hoc LSD test at the significance level p < 0.05. The effect of pH cycling in Aceto balsamico and green tea was degrading for all three materials. pH cycling in Aceto balsamico caused significantly higher erosive wear than pH cycling in Fuzetea and storage in distilled water, in all materials (p < 0.05). pH cycling in both acidic media and in the control group resulted in a significant change in L* a* and b* (p < 0.05). The L* value decreased significantly and the a* and b* values increased significantly (p < 0.05).