Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties of Different Dental Resin-Based Materials After Submersion in Acidic Beverages

<b>Background</b>: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of acidic beverages on the mechanical properties of various dental resin-based materials. <b>Methods</b>: A total number of 160 samples were prepared using four types of resin-based materials-Group A (<i>n</i> = 40): flowable composite, Group B (<i>n</i> = 40): heavy-flow composite, Group C (<i>n</i> = 40): resin-based sealant and Group D (<i>n</i> = 40): nano-hybrid composite. Then, the samples were distributed into four subgroups according to the submersion solution: <i>a</i> (<i>n</i> = 10): artificial saliva, <i>b</i> (<i>n</i> = 10): coffee, <i>c</i> (<i>n</i> = 10): cola and <i>d</i> (<i>n</i> = 10): red wine. The Vickers microhardness, Young's modulus of elasticity and scratch resistance were assessed using a CETR UMT-2 tribometer. <b>Results</b>: The obtained results showed that 14-day submersion of the resin-based materials in coffee, cola and red wine solutions significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) decreased the microhardness values (VHN), Young's modulus of elasticity and scratch resistance. Fourteen days of storage in coffee decreased the microhardness values of flow resin from 117.5 to 81.59 VHN (<i>p</i> < 0.001) whereas the values of the nanohybrid resin decreased from 125.5 to 89.4 (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The elasticity modulus of the heavy flow resin showed a decline from 15.57 to 10.50 GPa after 14 days' submersion in coffee (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and from 21.29 to 13.10 GPa for the nanohybrid resin after immersion in cola (<i>p</i> < 0.001). For the scratch test, the resin-based sealant showed a significant decrease after 14 days of storage in coffee, from 0.34 to 0.02 units. <b>Conclusions</b>: The submersion of conventional nanohybrid, flowable, heavy-flow composite resins and resin-based sealants in coffee, cola and red wine solutions changes the mechanical properties (Young's modulus of elasticity, Vickers microhardness and scratch resistance). The most resistant resin-based material to acid attack was the conventional nanohybrid composite resin, followed by heavy flow resin, flowable resin and resin-based sealant.