Evaluation of the Compressive Strength of Hybrid and Nanocomposites

Nowadays, composite restorations have gained more popularity and are widely used due to their high esthetic properties, rapid application, ease of use and low costs. There are various composite resins of different brands available in the market and it is necessary to find the most favorable one in terms of reliability and long term prognosis. The present study aimed at evaluating and comparing the compressive strength of hybrid and nanocomposites. In this experimental in-vitro study 4 different types of composite resins were used as follows: Group 1- Filtek Z 250 (3M) (hybrid composite) Group 2- Filtek Supreme (3M) Group 3-Gradia Direct X(GC) Group 4-Herculite XRV Ultra (Kerr Hawe)composite resins (groups 2, 3 and 4 are nanocomposites). Twelve samples were made in stainless steel molds of 4mm diameter and 6mm height of each composite. Following photopolymerization of cylindrical samples using Radi plus light curing unit (SDI limited), the specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 48 hours. The specimens were subjected to compressive stress test using Mechanical Testing Machine (Zwick/Roell) at cross head speed of 0.5 mm/min. One way ANOVA and Tukey’s Post-hoc tests were employed for statistical analyses and determining level of significance. The obtained results were as follows: Group 1: 362.51 group 2: 266.70 group 3: 268.72 and group 4:275.75 Newton. Compressive strength of group 1 (Filtek Z 250) was higher than other three groups and it was statistically significant (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference was detected among groups 2, 3 and 4. Hybrid composite showed more compressive strength than nano composites.