Influence of inorganic filler content on the radiopacity of dental resin cements

Digital radiography was used to measure the radiopacity of 18 resin cements to determine the influence of inorganic filler content on radiopacity. Four disk specimens (n=4) of each light-curing cement were digitally radiographed alongside an aluminum step wedge using an intraoral sensor (XIOS Plus, Sirona, Germany), and their mean gray value measured. Percentage of filler by weight was determined using an analytical combustion furnace. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=0.05). All materials were more radiopaque than dentin and 12 materials were more radiopaque than enamel. Filler percentage ranged between 17.36 to 53.56 vol% and radiopacity between 1.02 to 3.40 mm Al. There were no statistically significant differences in inorganic filler percentage and radiopacity among the different shades of the same material (p>0.05), but the highest radiopacity was measured for the material which contained a higher percentage of filler.