Sesame Oil (Sesamum Indicum L.) as a New Challenge for Reinforcement of Conventional Glass Ionomer Cement, Could It Be?

Purpose Despite the advantages of glass ionomer cement (GIC) including chemical bonding to the tooth structure and fluoride release, its low-grade mechanical properties make it a topic for research. Accordingly, this study was conducted to assess the ability of sesame oil as a natural bioactive additive to reinforce conventional glass ionomer cement.Materials and Methods Sesame oil was blended into the liquid component of the cement in ratios of 3 and 5 (v/v%). One control and two experimental groups were enrolled in the study; I: unmodified GIC (control), II: 3 (v/v%) sesame oil-modified GICs, and III: 5(v/v%) sesame oil-modified GICs. Compressive strength, shear bond strength, diametral tensile strength, surface microhardness, surface roughness, and color stability were the parameters assessed. A representative specimen of each group was analyzed for its chemical structure by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey test was used to analyze the collected data of all evaluated parameters except the color stability results, which were analyzed by Student t -test at p < 0.05.Results Three and 5 (v/v%) sesame oil-modified GICs exhibited significant increase in their compressive strength, shear bond strength, diametral strength, and surface microhardness. Concurrently, there was a significant decrease in surface roughness ( p < 0.05) in both formulations of the modified cement. Both 3 and 5 (v/v%) sesame oil-modified GICs showed a clinically acceptable color change.Conclusions Sesame oil seems to be a promising natural bioactive product for reinforcement of conventional GIC with a clinically agreeable esthetic.