Mechanical and in vitro bioactivity study of bamboo leaf-derived glass-ionomer cement doped with Mg2+, Zn2+ and Ba2+.

Mechanical properties and bioactivity are two important characteristics of glass-ionomer cements (GICs) for application as dental restorative materials. The current study prepared GIC economically by using bamboo leaf as a silica source instead of expensive analytical grade silica precursors. Dopant ions consisting of Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Ba²⁺ were added to study their influence on mechanical properties and bioactivity. The undoped GIC exhibited compressive strength, flexural strength and microhardness of 110.31 (± 2.42) MPa, 25.53 (± 3.11) MPa and 66.48 (± 4.22) KHN, respectively, while those for the doped GIC were 122.85 (± 6.37) MPa, 29.17 (± 5.62) MPa and 72.39 (± 6.04) KHN, respectively. The obtained GICs, when immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 21 days, showed a good degree of stability and capacity to induce the nucleation of hydroxyapatite (HA) on their surface but the doped sample exhibited a superior outcome. Trimetallic doping with Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Ba²⁺ may be a crucial strategy for improving the mechanical and bioactive properties of GIC designed for application in restorative dentistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]