Chelate-type calcium hydroxide materials

In clinical use, setting chelate-type calcium hydroxide materials are considered to have the following advantages ... 

As well as chelate cements of this type, there are also curable calcium hydroxide cements available [39]. These materials have superior mechanical properties to the chelate-type calcium hydroxide cements [40] and also better chemical resistance [41], since they are not affected by treatment with phosphoric acid etchants. A typical example is Biocal , which has the composition shown in Table 9.2. 

Chelate materials of this type are products of reaction of a metal base, such as calcium hydroxide or metal oxide, with weakly acidic organic substances with at least two functional groups. The ones used clinically are typically hydrolytically unstable, and this is responsible for their therapeutic effects. Ions released have beneficial properties, reducing inflanunation, being bacteriostatic and stimulating the odontoblasts to form secondary dentine. Ideally, calcium hydroxide chelates of this kind dissolve completely with time, and thus have the maximum possible therapeutic effect. 

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