Aim: Evaluation of ion release, apatite formation and tooth-restoration interface of a commercial bioactive restoration compared to the conventional one.

Methodology: Two types of commercially available composite restorations; a bioactive type (Filtek™ Z350-XT, 3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA) and a conventional one as a control (ACTIVA, BioACTIVE, Pulpdent, USA) was tested through this study. Calcium and phosphorous ions release were analyzed via Inductively coupled plasma. Apatite formation was tested using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for discs after immersion in phosphate buffer saline for 14 days. Calcium/Phosphorous ratio was also calculated. The gap distance at the interface was measured using SEM, after immersion of buccolingual sections of Class V cavities filled with the tested restorations, in phosphate buffer saline for 14 days.

Results: Results revealed insignificant difference regarding mean Ca ions values between the tested materials. While for the P ion release mean values a significant difference was found between them SEM micrographs for ACTIVA™ bioactive restorative discs surfaces showed white globules with Ca/P ratio=1.7. Gaps were detected at the interface between the teeth structure and both tested materials with insignificant differences between them. On the other hand, crystal-like structure was detected at the gaps borders between ACTIVA™ bioactive restorative and teeth structure. Conclusions: ACTIVA bioactive restorative material seems promising regarding ions release and apatite formation yet closing the gap at the interface may need long term inspection duration.