d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996

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Evaluation of physical properties of fiber-reinforced

composite resin

Naoko Suzaki a , Satoshi Yamaguchi b , Nanako Hirose a , Ryousuke Tanaka a ,

Yusuke Takahashi a , Satoshi Imazato b , Mikako Hayashi a,∗
a Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, 1-8
Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan
b Department of Biomaterials Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, 1-8 Yamadaoka, Suita

565-0871, Japan

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Objectives. This study aimed to investigate physical properties of a fiber-reinforced CAD/CAM
Received 24 October 2019 resin disc, which included woven layers of multi-directional glass fibers.
Received in revised form Methods. Fiber orientations of CAD/CAM specimens (TRINIA, SHOFU) were specified as
28 January 2020 longitudinal (L), longitudinal-rotated (LR), and anti-longitudinal (AL). A fiber-reinforced com-
Accepted 28 April 2020 posite (everX posterior, GC (E)) and a conventional composite (Beauti core flow paste, SHOFU
(B)) were also tested.
A three-point bending test and a tensile test with notchless prism-shaped specimens
Keywords: were conducted using a universal testing machine (AUTOGRAPH AG-IS, Shimadzu). A water
Fiber-reinforced absorption test was also carried out after the specimens were stored in water for 24 h or 1
Resin composites week. Flexural strength and fracture toughness were obtained by conducting a three-point
Flexural strength bending test.
Fracture toughness Results. TRINIA L and LR groups showed significantly high flexural strength (254.2 ± 22.3
Water absorption and 248.8 ± 16.7 MPa, respectively). Those were approximately 2.5 times higher than those
in AL, E, and B groups (96.8–98.0 MPa) (p < 0.05, ANOVA and Tukey HSD test). No significant
difference was shown in flexural modulus among the experimental groups. The fracture
toughness in L group (9.1 ± 0.4 MPa/m1/2 ) was found to be significantly higher than those
in other groups (1.9–3.0 MPa/m1/2 ; p < 0.05). TRINIA group demonstrated significantly lower
water absorption (4.7 ± 1.9 ␮g/mm3 ) than did E (16.1 ± 3.1 ␮g/mm3 ) and B (17.3 ± 3.7 ␮g/mm3 )
groups (p < 0.05).
Significance. TRINIA demonstrated distinct anisotropy. TRINIA can be used as a superior
restorative material when specifying directions of its fiber mesh layers.
© 2020 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

In recent years, restorative treatments for preserving sound

tooth structures with minimal intervention to the dentin
have become important, based on the concept of minimal
∗
Corresponding author. intervention dentistry (MID) [1]. Composite resin have been
E-mail address: mikarin@dent.osaka-u.ac.jp (M. Hayashi).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2020.04.012
0109-5641/© 2020 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
988 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996
widely used to achieve the MID concept. Hybrid resin devel-
oped for restoring molars has been clinically successful. These
positive results have expanded the indications of composite
resin in a wide range of restorations, such as fixed partial
dentures and full-mouth rehabilitation [2,3]. Subsequently,
various attempts have been made to improve the mechanical
properties of composite resin to meet this clinical demand.
In the industry, fibers have been used as reinforcement
of resin, called as the fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) [4]. FRP
is also used in dentistry. The representative examples of FRP
in dentistry are hybrid resin for crown restoration, fiber post,
high strength composite resin bridge, and CAD/CAM glass fiber
reinforced resin. In all these materials, the fiber contained in
FRP should be able to bear the tensile and bending stress and
need to firmly adhere to resin matrix [5].
There are three patterns of fiber forms in FRP; random short
fiber reinforced type (RSFRT), unidirectional continuous fiber
reinforced type (UCFRT), and textile laminate reinforced type
(TLRT). RSFRT is reinforced by short fibers randomly arranged
in the matrix resin. UCFRT is reinforced by continuous fibers
arranged unidirectionally in the matrix resin. TLRT is rein-
forced by tailoring fiber bundles into mesh fabrics. However,
contributions of these fibers in improving the mechanical
properties of FRP have not been clearly demonstrated. In par-
ticular, the effects of forms and directions of the fibers on
reinforcing restoratives need to be comprehensively investi-
gated.
Recent developments in digital technologies have signif-
icantly progressed the production of a restorative crown,
especially CAD/CAM systems. A CAD/CAM crown can be made
now by a simple process of milling a hybrid composite or a
ceramic block without using complex technical procedures.
In this study, a glass fiber reinforced resin disc, TRINIA
(SHOFU, Kyoto, Japan), was used, which was composed of
55 wt% glass fibers and 45 wt% epoxy resin matrix. A TRINIA
disc, with fibers aligned as meshes and layers in a disc, seems
to have good potential to produce various kinds of restorations
by CAD/CAM system [6].
The purpose of this study was to evaluate flexural
strength (FS), fracture toughness (FT), and water absorption of
CAD/CAM glass fiber reinforced resin – TRINIA – by regulating
the directions of fiber layers.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
Materials used in this study are presented in Table 1. A glass
fiber-reinforced resin disc (TRINIA, SHOFU, Kyoto, Japan) was
composed of 45 wt% epoxy resin matrix and 55 wt% multi-
directionally interlaced glass fibers, which aligned woven
layers parallel to the top surface of the disc. Exposed fiber
size was not disclosed. By SEM observation, the width and
thickness of E-glass fibers were 1.2–1.5 mm and 0.1–0.4 mm,
respectively. A fiber-reinforced composite resin (everX Poste-
rior, GC, Tokyo, Japan) contained 8.6 wt% short E-glass fibers
(approximately 200 ␮m) and 67.7 wt% barium glass fillers. A
conventional composite resin (Beauti core flow paste, SHOFU)
Table 1 – Compositions of the experimental materials in
this study.
TRINIA (SHOFU, glass fiber: 55 wt%,
Kyoto, Japan) epoxy matrix resin:
Lot No. 45 wt%
037970914
everX posterior Bis-GMA, TEGDMA,
(GC, Tokyo, PMMA, beamium
Japan) glass fillers:
Lot No. 1808201 67.7 wt%, e-glass
fiber: 8.6 wt%, Silica
dioxide: 5 wt%
Beauti core flow Bis-GMA, TEGDMA,
paste (SHOFU, barium glass fillers
Kyoto, Japan)
Lot No. 111611
Bis-GMA: bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate; TEGDMA: triethylene
glycol dimethacrylate; PMMA: polymethyl methacrylate.
containing barium glass fillers was used as the control mate-
rial.
2.2. Preparation of CAD/CAM fiber-reinforced resin
specimens
Beam-, prism-, and disc-shaped specimens were prepared
using a CAD/CAM system of a scanner (S-WAVE scanner
D2000, SHOFU), a software (GO2 dental, SHOFU), and a milling
machine (DWX-50, Roland, Shizuoka, Japan) for processing the
resin disc in all the experiments.
Beam-shaped specimens were specified into three groups
(longitudinal, longitudinal-rotated, and anti-longitudinal)
according to the glass fiber orientations (Fig. 1B). In lon-
gitudinal group, multi-directional glass fibers were layered
longitudinally parallel to the specimen. In longitudinal-
rotated group, the specimen was rotated by 90 degrees to a
longitudinal one. In anti-longitudinal group, multi-directional
glass fibers were layered vertical to the long axis of a specimen.
Prism-shaped specimens were specified into two groups
(longitudinal and anti-longitudinal) according to the glass
fiber orientations similar to the beam-shaped specimens
(Fig. 1C).
Disc-shaped specimen used was 15 mm in diameter and
1 mm in height. The multi-directional glass fibers were layered
parallel to the upper surface of the specimen.
2.3. Measurement of flexural strength
Three-point bending test was conducted according to ISO 4049
[7]. Five specimens (2 × 2 × 25 mm) were created from each
material. Each specimen was prepared according to ISO 4049
and the manufacturer’s instructions. Beam-shaped specimens
of composite resin materials (everX posterior and Beauti core
flow paste) were created in a half-split stainless-steel mold.
As for Beauti core flow paste, the light was cured with an irra-
diance of 2000 mW/cm2 for 10 s with 4.6 mm distance from
curing tip. As for everX posterior, the light was cured with an
irradiance of 2000 mW/cm2 for 10 s with 4.0 mm distance from
curing tip. The curing tip was placed at the center of each
specimen and then moved to the section next to the center
 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996 989

Fig. 1 – Preparation of beam- and prism-shaped specimens. (A) Glass fiber-reinforced resin disc (TRINIA). (B) Beam-shaped
specimens were categorized into three groups (longitudinal, longitudinal-rotated, and anti-longitudinal) depending on the
orientations of glass fibers. In longitudinal group, multi-directional glass fibers were layered longitudinally parallel to the
specimens. In longitudinal-rotated group, a specimen was rotated by 90◦ to a longitudinal one. In anti-longitudinal group,
multi-directional glass fibers were layered anti-longitudinally to a specimen. (C) Prism-shaped specimens were categorized
specified into two groups (longitudinal and anti-longitudinal) depending on the glass fiber orientations similar to the
beam-shaped specimens.

overlapping the previous section by half the diameter of the where P is the applied load (N) at the highest point of
curing tip (total nine times). The other side of the center was load-displacement curve, L is the span length (20 mm), w is
irradiated in the same way. Polymerization of the composites the width of test specimens, and t is the thickness of test
was carried out using an LED light-curing unit (PenCure 2000, specimens. P (N) and S (mm) indicate the difference in
MORITA, Osaka, Japan). The specimens were stored at 37◦ C for fracture load corresponding to bending strain ε1 = 0.0025 and
24 h before testing. ε2 = 0.0005 and the difference in deflection distance at the cen-
The specimen set is presented in Fig. 2A (test span: 20 mm, ter of the beam, respectively.
cross-head speed: 0.75 mm/min, indenter: 2 mm diameter) After measuring FS, the fractured specimens were observed
and was loaded in a universal testing machine (AUTOGRAPH using a stereoscopic microscope (SMZ-U, Nikon, Tokyo, Japan),
AG-IS, Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan). A load-displacement curve and the fractured patterns were categorized as complete or
was recorded using a software (TRAPEZIUM, Shimadzu). incomplete fractures.
Subsequently, FS () and elastic modulus (E) were calcu-
lated using following formula [7]. 2.4. Measurement of fracture toughness
3PL
= ,
2wt2 Notchless triangular prism (NTP) test specimens
 (6 × 6 × 6 × 12 mm3 ) were created according to Ruse et al.
3PL
 S 2  S  [8]. A prism-shaped specimen of composite materials was
t
= 1+6 −3 ,
2wt2 L L2 made in a half-split stainless-steel mold. Polymerization
of the composites was done using an LED light-curing unit
when displacement is greater than 0.1L.
(PenCure 2000) with 30 s irradiation from both upper and side
L3 P surfaces. The specimen was stored at 37 ◦ C for 24 h before
E= ,
4wt3 S testing.
990 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996
Fig. 2 – Three-point bending test and notchless triangular prism (NTP) test. (A) Three-point bending test was conducted
according to ISO 4049 (test span: 20 mm, cross-head speed: 0.75 mm/min, indenter: 2 mm diameter). (B) NTP test was
conducted according to Ruse et al. (cross-head speed: 1.0 mm/min).
NTP test was conducted with a cross-head speed of
1.0 mm/min (Fig. 2A).
Prism-shaped specimens were loaded in a universal testing
machine (AUTOGRAPH AG-IS) and a load-displacement curve
was recorded using a software (TRAPEZIUM).
FT (KIc , MPa/m1/2 ), was calculated using the following for-
mula.
Pmax
KIc = √ × Ymin ,
DW
where Pmax is the maximum fracture load (N), D is the length
of the prism (mm), W is the length of the measuring die (mm),
and Ymin is the stress intensity factor (mm).
After the fracture testing, surfaces of all the specimens
were sputter-coated with platinum-palladium alloy using a
plasma multi-coater (PMC-5000, Meiwafosis, Tokyo, Japan).
The fracture surfaces were observed using a scanning electron
microscope (SEM, JSM-310, JEOL, Tokyo, Japan) at the magnifi-
cation of ×15 and ×1000.
2.5. Measurement of water absorption
Water absorption test was carried out according to ISO 4049
[7]. This experiment is to investigate the long-term durability
of TRINIA. In the water absorption test, a disc specimen with
1 mm thickness and 15 mm diameter was created from the
composite materials in a stainless-steel mold. Polymerization
of the composites was carried out using an LED light-curing
unit (PenCure 2000) with 30 s irradiation from both upper and
bottom surfaces. The specimens were stored at 37 ◦ C for 24 h
before testing.
Subsequently, the disc specimen was stored at 37 ◦ C for
22 h and at 23 ◦ C for 2 h in an incubator (LN-122, ESPEC, Osaka,
Japan), and the weight of the specimen was measured using
an electronic balance (GR202, A&D, Tokyo, Japan). This cycle
was repeated until constant weight was reached. Afterwards,
the specimen was dried and two orthogonal diameters were
measured with a digital caliper (CD-15C, Mitutoyo, Kanagawa,
Japan) which recorded the average diameter. After measur-
ing the thickness of the specimen at its center and other five
peripheral points, it was immersed in water at 37 ◦ C for 7 days.
Afterwards, weight (m1) of the specimen was measured with
an electronic balance (GR202, A&D), and the specimen was
stored at 37 ◦ C for 22 h followed by 23 ◦ C for 2 h in an incuba-
tor (LN-122, ESPEC) until it reached a constant weight. Weight
(m2 ) of the specimen was measured afterwards.
The water absorption (Wsp (␮g/mm3 )) was calculated using
the following formula [7].
(m1 − m2 )
Wsp = ,
V
 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996
Fig. 3 – Mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced resin materials. (A) Flexural strength (MPa). (B) Flexural modulus (GPa).
There were no statistically significant differences between groups indicated by the same letters (ANOVA and Tukey HSD,
p > 0.05).
where m1 is the weight (␮g) of the specimen after being stored
in water, m2 is the weight (␮g) of the specimens after drying,
and V (mm3 ) is the volume of the specimen.
2.6. Measurement of flexural strength after water
absorption
Three-point bending test was conducted on the beam-shaped
specimens after the water absorption test. The test was carried
out as described in section 2.3 and FS (MPa) was subsequently
calculated.
After measuring FS, the fracture patterns of the specimens
were observed with a stereoscopic microscope (SMZ-U, Nikon).
2.7. Statistical analyses
The data of FS, elastic modulus, FT and water absorption were
statistically analyzed with SPSS version 22 (SPSS, IBM, Illi-
nois, USA) using ANOVA at the significance level of p < 0.05,
followed by Tukey HSD post hoc test to determine the dif-
ferences between the groups. The data of FS after water
immersion were statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA
at the significance level of p < 0.05, followed by Student t-test
to determine the differences between the groups.
3. Results
FS and flexural modulus (FM) of the materials tested are pre-
sented in Fig. 3. TRINIA longitudinal and longitudinal-rotated
groups, which had the multi-directional glass fibers lay-
ered longitudinally parallel to the specimens, demonstrated
significantly high FS (254.2 ± 22.3 and 248.8 ± 16.7 MPa, respec-
tively). Those were approximately 2.5 times higher than those
of TRINIA anti-longitudinal (96.9 ± 2.9 MPa), everX posterior
(98.0 ± 15.9 MPa), and Beauti core flow paste (96.8 ± 3.3 MPa)
991
groups. TRINIA demonstrated distinct anisotropy in FS. No
significant difference was demonstrated in FM among the
experimental groups. FM of the tested materials ranged
between 6.8 and 11.6 GPa.
Fracture patterns and images after the three-point bending
test are presented in Table 2 and Fig. 4, respectively.
In TRINIA longitudinal and TRINIA longitudinal-rotated
groups, all specimens showed incomplete fracture (IF) (Table 2
and Fig. 4a–d). In TRINIA anti-longitudinal group, 60% spec-
imens (Fig. 4e, f) showed IF and 40% specimens (Fig. 4g, h)
showed complete fracture (CF). In everX posterior group, 60%
specimens (Fig. 4i, j) showed CF and 40% specimens (Fig. 4k,
l) showed IF. In Beauti core flow paste group, all specimens
showed CF (Fig. 4m, n).
The results of NTP test are presented in Fig. 5A. FT in
TRINIA longitudinal group (9.1 ± 0.4 MPa/m1/2 ) demonstrated
significantly higher than those in other groups, which ranged
between 1.9 and 3.0 MPa/m1/2 . Fracture patterns are presented
in Fig. 5B. In TRINIA longitudinal group, which had the multi-
directional glass fibers layered longitudinally parallel to the
specimen, rough fracture surface was observed with bro-
ken multi-directional glass fibers. In TRINIA anti-longitudinal
group, which had the multi-directional glass fibers layered
vertical to the long axis of a specimen, the flat fracture sur-
face showed clear fiber mesh patterns, since fracture occurred
between the mesh layers. In everX posterior group, fibers
pulled out were observed on the fractured surface. In Beauti
core flow paste, the flat fractured surface indicated rapid frac-
ture.
The results of the water absorption test are pre-
sented in Fig. 6A. TRINIA demonstrated significantly lower
water absorption (4.7 ± 1.9 ␮g/mm3 ) compared to everX
posterior (16.1 ± 3.1 ␮g/mm3 ) and Beauti core flow paste
(17.3 ± 3.7 ␮g/mm3 ) (p < 0.05). In TRINIA longitudinal group,
results of the FS after the water immersion are presented in
Fig. 6B. The results showed that the FS significantly decreased
992 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996
Table 2 – Fracture patterns after the three-point bending test.
TRINIA
Longitudinal Longitudinal-rotated
Complete fracture 0 0
Incomplete fracture 5 5
Fig. 4 – Images of fractured specimens after the three-point bending test. CF: complete fracture; IF: incomplete fracture.
from 24 h (287.5 ± 29.5 MPa) to 1 week (240.6 ± 9.5 MPa). No sta-
tistically significant difference was observed in the FS in everX
posterior and Beauti core flow paste between the 24 h and 1
week immersion groups.
Representative images of the fractured specimens after the
water absorption are presented in Fig. 7. In TRINIA longitudi-
nal and everX posterior groups, all specimens demonstrated
IF (Fig. 7a-d, f-i), while in Beauti core flow paste group, all
specimens demonstrated CF (Fig. 7e, j).
Fig. 8 presents the representative stress-stain curves pre-
pared during the three-point bending test using TRINIA
longitudinal specimens after water absorption. These graphs
indicate viscosity failure in both specimens, after 24 h and 1
week. No significant difference was found in the elastic mod-
ulus between the groups, however, the elastic modulus was
found to be smaller after 1 week (6.8 ± 3.5 GPa) than after 24 h
(7.2 ± 3.5 GPa).
4. Discussion
Fiber reinforced materials have become popular in dental
restorations, especially in post-core for restoring pulp-
less teeth [9–11] and in constituting the framework for
bridge restoration [12–14]. Superior mechanical properties of
fiber-reinforced composite resin have been reported [15]. Fiber-
reinforced composite resin, containing randomly distributed
everX posterior Beauticore flow paste
Anti-longitudinal
2 3 5
3 2 0
short glass fiber (0.2–0.3 mm), have been demonstrated to have
higher FS, elastic modulus, and FT compared to conventional
composite resin [15–17]. Furthermore, superior mechanical
properties of the fiber-reinforced composite resin, containing
long glass fiber (1–2 mm), have also been reported [18,19].
However, such fiber-reinforced composite resins have a
limitation as they are unable to include sufficient glass fibers,
due to their inability to handle composites with high con-
tents of the fibers. This study focused on a fiber-reinforced
CAD/CAM resin disc containing 55 wt% of glass fibers, and its
mechanical properties were investigated to establish its use-
fulness as a coronal and a post-core restorative material.
Various testing methods exist for evaluating FT of dental
materials. NTP test is an effective method which evaluates FT
using a tensile test with a prism-shaped specimen [8]. Fur-
thermore, NTP test allows to keep the crack propagation in a
designated direction with a stable condition. Additionally, a
specimen in NTP test does not require a notch which initiates
a crack propagation. This makes the NTP test highly reliable
with low variation in the outcomes.
Other methods of measuring fracture toughness are
Chevron-notched short rod test (CNSR test) [20], single-edge
notched beam fracture toughness test (SENB test) [21,22], and
indentation fracture toughness test (IF test) [23,24]. In the IF
test, certain outcomes are often difficult to obtain due to the
apparent lack of clarity in crack propagation. In the CNSR and
 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996 993

Fig. 5 – Mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced resin materials. (A) Fracture toughness. (B) SEM images of fracture surfaces.
(A) There were statistically significant differences among groups indicated by the different letters (ANOVA and Tukey HSD,
p < 0.05). (B) SEM images of fractured surfaces of the NTP specimens (top; ×15; scale bar = 1 mm, bottom; ×100; scale
bar = 100 ␮m).

SENB tests, standardized specimens are difficult to produce
because a chevron notch or single-edge notch is extremely
sensitive to create.
In this study, NTP test was used to evaluate FT of TRINIA by
specifying the direction of mesh layers. FS and FT of TRINIA
longitudinal specimens were found to be significantly higher
compared to TRINIA anti-longitudinal, Beauti core flow paste,
and everX posterior specimens (Figs. 3 and 5). In TRINIA lon-
gitudinal group, mesh layers composed by multi-directional
glass fibers effectively resisted the fracture propagation result-
ing in high FT (Fig. 4a). In TRINIA anti-longitudinal group,
mesh layers did not contribute to the fracture resistance
resulting in low FS and FT, since the fracture was parallel to
mesh layer of glass fibers (Fig. 4e, g).
FS of TRINIA longitudinal group was found to be
254.2 ± 22.3 MPa, which was higher than the standard for the
dental composite resins for core build-up according to ISO
4049 (80 MPa). FT of TRINIA longitudinal group was found to be
9.1 ± 0.4 MPa/m1/2 , which was significantly higher than other
composite materials tested. These results suggest that TRINIA
can be used as a superior restorative material when specifying
the direction of its mesh layers. In the case of a crown, as the
basic concept, the longitudinal direction of TRINIA disc will be
located along to the horizontal direction of an occlusal surface
of the crown. In addition, TRINIA is possibly available to fab-
ricate post-cores with the longitudinal direction by CAD/CAM
technique.
Each specimen after the fracture tests was categorized as
an incomplete/complete fracture by fracture pattern. Each
specimen of the incomplete fracture was categorized when
the specimen was maintained the epoxy resin by E-glass fiber
while the complete fracture was categorized when the spec-
994 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996

Fig. 6 – Water absorption (A) and flexural strength (B) of fiber-reinforced resin materials after water immersion. There were
statistically significant differences among groups indicated by the different letters (ANOVA and Tukey HSD, p < 0.05).

Fig. 7 – Images of three-point bending test specimens after water immersion. CF: complete fracture; IF: incomplete fracture.
 d e n t a l m a t e r i a l s 3 6 ( 2 0 2 0 ) 987–996
Fig. 8 – Load–displacement curves of TRINIA longitudinal
after water immersion: (A) after 24 h and (B) after 1 week.
imen was completely separated to two or more parts. The
incomplete fracture was exerted by E-glass fiber and may con-
tribute to the great flexural strength of longitudinal group in
TRINIA.
In an ideal scenario, mechanical properties of restorative
materials should be isotropic, although TRINIA demonstrated
strong anisotropy. In some studies, restorative materials con-
taining fibers with various configurations, such as random
distribution, spiral distribution, diagonal lattices, and mesh
tubular shape have been investigated. However, further stud-
ies are needed to produce a fiber-reinforced isotropic material.
The water absorption of TRINIA was found to be signifi-
cantly smaller compared to everX posterior and Beauti core
flow paste (Fig. 6). A composite resin was previously reported
to have a weak interfacial bond between matrix resin and filler
due to water absorption after 3–6 months [25]. In this study,
FS of everX posterior and Beauti core flow paste remained
unchanged after water absorption because of short testing
period of 1 week. However, FS may decrease after long term
water absorption.
995
After water absorption, all specimens of TRINIA longitu-
dinal and everX posterior groups demonstrated IF, but all
specimens in the Beauti core flow paste group demonstrated
CF (Fig. 7). In particular, specimens of TRINIA longitudinal
group showed viscous fracture after 24 h and 1 week (Fig. 7a,
b). The elastic modulus after 1 week decreased compared
to that after 24 h, however, there was no significant differ-
ence in the elastic modulus between 24 h and 1 week (Fig. 8).
Moreover, there was no significant difference in FS between
the non-immersed and the 24 h immersed groups. The water
absorption of the matrix of TRINIA caused the decrease in the
elastic modulus, and the fractured specimen demonstrated
viscous failure in which maximum fracture load was difficult
to identify. The fracture energy between the non-immersed
and the immersed groups seemed similar, although low FS
was demonstrated after water absorption. However, long-term
water storage over 7 days possibly shows different flexural
strength values.
From the results of this study, TRINIA could be used as
a superior restorative material by specifying directions of its
fiber mesh layers according to a clinical situation while the
vulnerability was shown if we use anti-longitudinal group.
5. Conclusion
TRINIA demonstrated distinct anisotropy. TRINIA can be used
as a superior restorative material when specifying directions
of its fiber mesh layers.
Funding sources
This study was supported by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific
Research (17H04382, 17K19907 and 16K20454) from JSPS and
SECOM science Technology Foundation Grant (2019).
Conflict of interest
None declared.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to SHOFU for kindly providing some
of the materials used.
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