RESEARCH ARTICLE
Clinical Performance of a New Biomimetic Double Network Material
Christine Dirxen, Uwe Blunck , Saskia Preissner*
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2013Volume: 7
First Page: 118
Last Page: 122
Publisher ID: TODENTJ-7-118
DOI: 10.2174/1874210620130904003
Article History:
Received Date: 12/4/2013Revision Received Date: 30/7/2013
Acceptance Date: 2/8/2013
Electronic publication date: 6 /9/2013
Collection year: 2013

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background:
The development of ceramics during the last years was overwhelming. However, the focus was laid on the hardness and the strength of the restorative materials, resulting in high antagonistic tooth wear. This is critical for patients with bruxism.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of the new double hybrid material for non-invasive treatment approaches.
Material and Methods:
The new approach of the material tested, was to modify ceramics to create a biomimetic material that has similar physical properties like dentin and enamel and is still as strong as conventional ceramics.
Results:
The produced crowns had a thickness ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 mm. To evaluate the clinical performance and durability of the crowns, the patient was examined half a year later. The crowns were still intact and soft tissues appeared healthy and this was achieved without any loss of tooth structure.
Conclusions:
The material can be milled to thin layers, but is still strong enough to prevent cracks which are stopped by the interpenetrating polymer within the network. Depending on the clinical situation, minimally- up to non-invasive restorations can be milled.
Clinical Relevance:
Dentistry aims in preservation of tooth structure. Patients suffering from loss of tooth structure (dental erosion, Amelogenesis imperfecta) or even young patients could benefit from minimally-invasive crowns. Due to a Vickers hardness between dentin and enamel, antagonistic tooth wear is very low. This might be interesting for treating patients with bruxism.