Dental restoration materials or dental filling materials preparation (discs or blocks or inserted in human or bovine teeth) and laboratory testing to evaluate the impact of oral care dentifrice products to support dental restorative materials development and performance testing
Dental restorative materials, including composite fillings, glass ionomer cements, ceramics and other restorative systems, are continually exposed to oral care products throughout their lifetime in use. Toothpastes, mouthwashes, whitening treatments and powered or manual toothbrushes can all influence the long-term performance and appearance of these materials. Potential unwanted effects include surface abrasion, wear, changes in surface roughness, chemical degradation, colour change or staining, loss of gloss and reduced mechanical performance.
Evaluating these interactions in clinical studies can be challenging due to ethical, practical and cost considerations. Instead, well-designed in vitro laboratory studies provide a controlled, reproducible and scientifically robust approach to understanding how oral care products interact with restorative materials during product development. By identifying potential compatibility issues early, manufacturers can optimise formulations, compare product performance, substantiate product claims and reduce development risks before market launch.
How can in vitro testing assess the impact of oral care products on dental restorative materials?
Our scientists design and conduct bespoke in vitro studies to investigate the effects of oral care products on a wide range of dental restorative materials. Studies can evaluate the impact of dentifrices, mouthwashes, whitening products, toothbrushes, powered brushing devices and other oral care technologies under carefully controlled laboratory conditions.
Depending on your development objectives, we can assess changes in physical appearance, surface properties, abrasion resistance, wear, colour stability, chemical degradation and other relevant performance characteristics using validated analytical and materials characterisation techniques.
We can also prepare extracted human or bovine teeth containing clinically representative restorations to support your own research programmes. These customised models can be incorporated into chemical and mechanical studies, providing a realistic platform for evaluating product performance and restorative material compatibility while generating high-quality scientific data to support innovation, regulatory submissions and product claims.
How do we prepare dental filling material samples?
Our in-vitro laboratory team is experienced at working with a wide variety of direct dental restorative materials, including resin composites, glass ionomers (dental materials such as glass polyalkenoate cements), acrylics, light- or chemical-cured polymer-based materials and can cast high-quality blocks or discs of pure restoration materials to your required specifications. We prepare samples to very precise specifications (± 0.1 mm diameter) and then polish sample surfaces to very fine finishes (up to and including micro-grit size P2500).
Our Expertise in Dental Restoration Materials Testing
For over 20 years our Clinical Research Services group has been a trusted partner for developers and manufacturers offering Total Quality Assurance expertise of oral care products. We provide a one-source solution for all your in vitro studies including anti-stain, stain removal and tooth whitening laboratory testing, artificial lesion preparation for in vitro remineralisation and demineralisation studies, cleaning evaluation of toothbrushes, interdental brushes, flosses and tapes, dentinal tubule blockage studies or other laboratory testing requirements, providing robust data to support product development and claims for novel treatments.
Intertek Clinical Research Services (CRS) has a dedicated in vitro laboratory which conducts testing of all aspects of Oral Care products. We are particularly adept in designing bespoke in vitro models to cater for your specific requirements. Intertek Clinical Research Services is licensed to handle and store human tissue under the Human Tissue Act 2004 and follows the principles outlined within the act as well as complying with local ethical guidelines.
