The influence of light‐curing time on fluoride release, surface topography, and bacterial adhesion in resin‐modified glass ionomer cements: AFM and SEM in vitro study

Reinforced glass ionomer cements have been widely used in pediatric dentistry to prevent dental caries. However, the influence of biomaterial light‐curing and its anti‐cariogenic effects remain unclear. This study evaluates the influence of the light‐curing time on fluoride release, surface topography, and bacterial adhesion in two types of resin‐modified glass ionomer cements (RMGICs). One hundred disks were made, and samples were divided into two groups (n = 50 per group), according to each dental material (Vitremer™ and Ketac™ N100), and also divided into different light‐cured times (10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 s). They were placed in phosphate‐buffered saline solution (PBS) to measure the fluoride release. Subsequently, an independent sample of RMGICs per group was examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Four disks per group were incubated in a brain heart infusion (BHI) medium that was inoculated with Streptococcus mutans GS5 to evaluate the bacterial adhesion by 3–4, [5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl]‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide cell viability assay (MTT assay). The fluoride release was related to the light‐curing time and gradually decreased as the light‐curing time increased in both materials. Surface topography in Vitremer™ presents more irregular surfaces than Ketac™ N100. For S. mutans adhesion, the smallest number of cells per milliliter (cell/ml) was found at 40 s for Vitremer™ and at 30 s for Ketac™ N100. Thus, the shorter light‐curing times allowed for major fluoride release in both materials. However, the RMGICs showed different patterns of bacterial adhesion according to the brand and light‐curing time. AFM and SEM findings in resin‐modified glass ionomer cements surface after different light‐curing time. A shorter light‐curing time allows higher fluoride release from both materials. Different surface topography and bacterial adhesion associated to light‐curing time, suggest specific clinical protocols for each material.