Effect of Hot and Cold Beverages on the Flexural Strength of Nanofilled and Nanohybrid Composites: An In-vitro Study

Introduction: Nanocomposites is the latest development in the field of dentistry. It has improved mechanical properties. The clinical success is dependent on the effect of changes in the oral temperature due to consumption of various beverages. Aim: To evaluate and compare the effect of hot and cold beverages on the flexural strength of nanofilled and nanohybrid composites. Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was carried out in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics at Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College and Hospital, Sangli, Maharashtra, India, from March 2021 to December 2021. Two types of nanocomposites (nanofilled and nanohybrid) were tested for flexural strength under effect of hot (like tea) and cold (like carbonated drink) beverages. All composite specimens were immersed in tea, carbonated beverage and distilled water thus the present study included six groups. A total of 60 specimens (25 mm in length, 3 mm in width, 2 mm in thickness were prepared using teflon moulds with 10 samples for each combination. Maximum load for distortion of the sample was measured after seven days of immersion and flexural strength was calculated. One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test, Post-hoc Tukey test and Independent t-test were utilised to compare the differences in flexural strength among study groups. Statistical significance was fixed at p-value ≤0.05. Results: The flexural strength of nanohybrid composite immersed in tea was 85.78 MPa, in aerated drink was 95.55 MPa and in distilled water was 126.78 MPa. The flexural strength of nanofilled composite immersed in tea was 73.66 MPa, in aerated drink was 85.35 MPa and in distilled water was 120.54 MPa. Nanohybrid composite compared to nanofilled composite showed higher flexural strength in all beverages. Conclusion: Nanohybrid composites were found to have greater mechanical properties as compared to nanofilled composites when subjected to both hot and cold temperatures.