Evaluation of Selected Artificial Aging Protocols for Dental Composites Including Fatigue and Fracture Tests

The durability and performance of dental composites are essential for ensuring long-lasting dental restorations. However, there is a lack of a standardized procedure for evaluating the lifespan of dental materials. Our proposal assumed that dental materials should be tested under aggressive aging conditions to accelerate materials’ degradation in vitro and such an approach should simulate prolonged material usage in the oral cavity. A comprehensive examination of the impacts of three aging methodologies on various mechanical properties, including the flexural strength (FS), diametral tensile strength (DTS), hardness (HV), fracture toughness (FT), flexural fatigue limit (FFL), and microstructure of selected dental materials (Resin F, Flow-Art and Arkon), was conducted. The findings revealed that preformed aging results in an average reduction of 30% in the mechanical strength properties of the dental composites when compared to the control. Notably, a strong correlation was identified between FS and FFL post-aging whereas no such relationship was observed between these parameters and FT. This paper highlights the significance of aging tests for new dental composites and recommends a focus on flexural strength and fracture toughness to optimize costs and time efficiency. Furthermore, the establishment of a standardized test for fracture toughness in dental composites is recommended. It is proposed that a minimum flexural strength of more than 32–48 MPa after aging should be maintained. A more extensive analysis of commercially available materials is suggested to refine the proper evaluation methods for composite materials.