Zinc polycarboxylate cement applications

Only two of these materials are of practical importance the zinc polycarboxylate cement of Smith (1968) and the glass-ionomer cement of Wilson Kent (1971). Both are used in dental applications and both have been used as bone cements. The glass-ionomer cement is, perhaps, the most versatile of all AB cements. It has many applications in dentistry a... 

The glass polyalkenoate cement uniquely combines translucency with the ability to bond to untreated tooth material and bone. Indeed, the only other cement to possess translucency is the dental silicate cement, while the zinc polycarboxylate cement is the only other adhesive cement. It is also an agent for the sustained release of fluoride. For these reasons the glass polyalkenoate cement has many applications in dentistry as well as being a candidate bone cement. Its translucency makes it a favoured material both for the restoration of front teeth and to cement translucent porcelain teeth and veneers. Its adhesive quality reduces and sometimes eliminates the need for the use of the dental drill. The release of fluoride from this cement protects neighbouring tooth material from the ravages of dental decay. New clinical techniques have been devised to exploit the unique characteristics of the material (McLean Wilson, 1977a,b,c Wilson McLean, 1988 Mount, 1990). 

Zinc polycarboxylate cements rapidly found use in clinical restorative dentistry. Applications included cavity lining, luting of crowns, and adhesion of orthodontic brackets (see O Sect. 56.14). They remain in use for these applications, but have been displaced to an extent by glass-ionomer cements. 

Zinc polycarboxylate cement, the first adhesive dental restorative material, is also described, though nowadays it has only niche applications in dentistry. 

It is, perhaps, fair to say that extensive use of polyelectrolytes as biomaterials has been partly hindered by lack of fundamental and systematic information on these macromolecules pertaining to specific applications as biomaterials. In the present work, the phenomena studied are surface adsorption and ionic crosslinking of poly(alkenoic acid) aqueous solution. These two phenomena are directly relevant to the present use of zinc polycarboxylate cements (ZP) and glass ionomers (GI) in restorative dentistry. Both of these types of dental biomaterials are formulated for clinical use as two-component systems. A liquid, which is an aqueous solution of a poly(alkenoic acid), is used in both products. In the case of... 

The acrylic resins also have found application in other, perhaps somewhat more limited-use areas of dentistry. The self-curing methacrylate cements for luting crowns and facings in place were once popular, but have been replaced largely by the easier to use zinc oxide-eugenol cements and the polycarboxylate cements (11). 

---