Influence of Acidic Drinks and Brushing on Microhardness of Restorative Resin Materials

Background: Various factors, including acidic diets and beverages, can compromise the longevity of restorations by affecting their physical and mechanical properties. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate, in vitro, the performance of different resin restorative materials and their interaction in an exogenous acid medium (orange juice), as well as erosion and whether there is interference in the microhardness of the composite resins. Materials and Methods: 48 samples from your different materials were distributed across 8 groups. Microhardness measurements were conducted before and after immersion in orange juice for 2 weeks, followed by brushing simulations. The data was analyzed using SPSS 20, initially checking for normality, and then two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc tests were applied for comparison at the significance level of 95%. Results: There was a significant change in microhardness values among both groups (orange juice and distilled water) (p<0.05), with the orange juice group displaying a greater reduction in hardness over time. Vita Enamic showed the greatest amount of reduction in values (p<0.05) yet still maintained higher values compared to the other materials. Charisma Classic experienced the least, though a significant change (P<0.05) in microhardness when exposed to orange juice. Conclusion: Overall, all materials showed a significant decrease in microhardness when immersed in orange juice, which highlights the erosive effects of acidic environments on resin restorative materials. Simulated brushing after acid exposure had minimal impact on the results.