Properties of an Accelerated Mineral Trioxide Aggregate-like Root-end Filling Material

The purpose of the study was to examine the physicochemical properties of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA)-like cements prepared from SiO(2), CaO, and Al(2)O(3) as matrices, and ZnO, MgO, and Fe(2)O(3) as additives. The MTA-like cements showed a significantly (p < 0.05) faster setting time (<14 minutes) than MTA when mixed with water, although there was a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in diametral tensile strength, ranging from 0.9 to 3.1 MPa in comparison to MTA (4.4 MPa). The addition of ZnO, MgO, and Fe(2)O(3) to the MTA-like cement led to a significantly (p < 0.05) higher strength than MTA-like cement without additives. The pH values of the MTA-like cements were changed from an initial 11 to a high of 13, similar to the results of MTA. Future characterization of the examined MTA-like cement with shortened setting time is needed before it is considered a viable candidate for dental root-end-filling applications. (J Endod 2009;35:239-242)