The current study investigated the volume of voids and overall porosity associated with some bulk-fill RBCs placed using varying techniques, which were based on different clinical utilization of bulk-filling materials.[16] Considering the three characteristics evaluated, i.e., number of closed pores, the volume of closed pores, and total percentage porosity of restorations, our findings revealed a statistical difference only in terms of the number of closed pores (Table 2). Of note, the restorations prepared with SonicFill 2 presented a higher quantity of pores than all other groups, indicating that the sonic delivery of the material may create more voids compared to the passive delivery method. It is possible to suggest that sonication changed the rheological behavior of the RBC, reducing viscosity and perhaps allowing the incorporation of air within the RBC mass, thereby increasing the total number of closed pores. One may attempt to the fact that despite the broader range of pores shown by Groups 1 and 2 (i.e., from 0 to 238), it was the sonicated Group 5 that presented with the highest minimum number of closed pores, ranging from 14 to 59 pores, so all restorations in Group 5 displayed a porous structure (Fig. 2). Conversely, Groups 3 and 4 showed the lowest and narrowest range of closed pores of the study, i.e., from 1 to 28, suggesting that the respective placing techniques tend to produce a more uniform and densely packed structure for direct RBC restoration.
A similar µ-CT study compared the void formation volume between two placement techniques based on conventional (two-layers) and sonication methods [13]. The study concluded that there was no difference in the void volume of SonicFill 2 regardless of placement techniques. However, the results showed that the volume of voids was significantly increased in the sonication group for other bulk-fill RBCs [13]. Another study that used the µ-CT to compare the effects of conventional, sonic, or pre-heating placement techniques on the internal void formation within bulk-fill RBCs has also concluded that other materials rather than SonicFill 2 were negatively affected by the sonic insertion technique [9]. In contrast, the latter was not influenced by the insertion method. In our study, the sonic device was used according to the manufacturer's instructions, but it still resulted in more voids than the conventional incremental technique.
It is worth mentioning that Groups 3 and 4 were prepared with bulk-fill RBCs placed using the two-step and one-step monoblock techniques, respectively. While the former group combined a flowable RBC as the first 1-mm increment with a high-viscosity RBC as the second 4-mm increment, the latter group was based solely on a high-viscosity RBC. Here, both groups were fabricated using a high-viscosity RBC as the major restorative material, differing from Group 2, which was mainly prepared using a flowable material. Despite the high viscous behavior of SonicFill 2, it was probably applied into the tooth cavity at a more fluid state due to the sonication delivery method applied in Group 5, as discussed earlier. Thus, considering the minimum and maximum values of the porous characteristics displayed by each group, one may consider that the viscosity of the major RBC may play a role in the structural quality of direct restorations.
According to our findings, high viscous RBCs were associated with an increased volume of closed pores compared to the use of low viscous material (Fig. 3). The number of closed pores and total porosity were not affected, so it can be suggested that the higher viscosity makes the material stickier, favoring the occurrence of larger voids/defects in case a pore is formed within the restoration. In theory, the flowing ability of low viscous RBCs is expected to facilitate internal adaptation with the tooth margins, improving the fit between the restorative material and tooth substrate. This was indeed observed in Group 2, in which maximum values for the volume of closed pores (0.006 mm3) and total porosity (0.6%) were the lowest in the study.
The current study used the µ-CT to detect and compare the internal porosity among different bulk-fill RBCs. This imaging modality offers a non-destructive, precise, and reproducible image of the tooth structure instead of using the non-precise dye penetration and sectional scanning of specimens [17]. Micro-CT imaging produces a 3D reconstruction and is reliable for viewing internal and external tooth structures [18]. Furthermore, we standardized our investigation by focusing on a consistent rectangular area in the middle of the restoration. The specimen cavity preparation and bonding agent were also standardized to minimize confounding factors.
From the 3D images shown in Fig. 2, it is clear that the incremental technique using conventional RBC (Group 1; control) and the monoblock technique with bulk-fill material and using sonic activation (Group 5) resulted in more apparent porous restorations. Concerning the incremental technique, the handling of small-sized increments may induce air entrapment and the creation of voids/defects in the bulk and surface of RBC restorations [19, 20]. Remarkably, the use of modeler resins has been suggested to aid in the sculpting of direct RBCs, reducing the stickiness of composite increments and thus contributing to more uniform, less-defective restorations [19, 21]. Nonetheless, there is still no consensus on the effects of modeler resins on the overall quality of RBC restorations over time [22, 23], so the use of the monoblock technique with bulk-fill materials should be preferred. Regarding the monoblock technique using sonic activation, the results shown in Fig. 3 demonstrated that this restorative method was significantly associated with a greater number of closed pores and volume of closed pores as compared to the non-sonicated counterparts, which corroborate the 3D images presented in Fig. 2. From the different placement techniques tested in this study, the incrementally- and the sonicated-driven methods resulted in the poorest structure for RBC restorations, at least in terms of the volume and internal porosity features investigated. Therefore, the first null hypothesis of the study was partially rejected since the number of voids (closed pores) depended on the type of bulk-fill layering technique, with some bulk-fill materials performing similarly or worse than the conventional technique. In contrast, the second null hypothesis was entirely rejected since the number of porosities was significantly associated with tested RBCs' viscosity.
Future directions of our study could assess the mechanical properties of bulk-fill materials with different void locations, comparing the internal porosity achieved at the surface versus the middle and marginal areas of the restoration; the comparison between heated and unheated bulk-fill materials is also encouraged since it may demonstrate essential differences in terms of the overall quality of the bulk of RBC restorations. Further investigations within these lines will improve the clinical practice and ensure the delivery of the best dental care to the patient in an efficient way.
Clinical Relevance
The bulk-fill RBC placement technique in different clinical situations should be selected based on the mechanical and physical properties of the materials. To reduce the number of voids, it is advisable to use bulk-fill materials when available in large and deep cavities instead of using the incremental technique of conventional RBC. Highly viscous bulk-fill RBCs could be used as monoblocks-one-step technique, whereas less viscous bulk-fill RBCs are suitable for monoblock-two-step placement techniques covered by a thin or thick layer of conventional RBCs to minimize the voids. The use of sonic activation was demonstrated to increase the internal porosity of restorations.