The Effect of Drying Time of Silane Coupling Agent on the Hardness of Fiber-Reinforced Composite for Dental Applications

Treatment of tooth decay includes caries or pulp necrosis, necessitates crown restoration and the creation of a post. Non-metallic pegs, one of which is fiber-reinforced composite (FRC), have become increasingly popular in recent years. FRC is a combination of composite with fiber that is bound by a silane coupling agent. The addition of silane serves several purposes, one of which is to strengthen the bond between the fiber and the composite. The chemical reactions of silane coupling agents are divided into two stages: hydrolysis and condensation reactions. The drying time of the silane coupling agent has an effect on the success of the hydrolysis reaction. Good fiber and composite bonds can improve the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composites, including the hardness of FRC. This research aims to determine the effect of silane coupling agent drying time on the hardness of FRC. This research is a pure laboratory experiment, with a sample amounted to 24, and was divided into four treatment groups based on drying time, namely group A 15 seconds, group B 30 seconds, group C 60 s, and group D 120 s. The sample was in the form of a disk with dimensions of 5 mm in diameter and 2 mm in height. The Vickers test was used for testing the sample. The results showed that group C had the highest hardness value of 87.33 Mpa with a drying time of 60 s. Statistical tests using the One-Way ANOVA and LSD tests revealed a difference in influence between groups with a significance value of p=0.000 (p< 0.05). There is an effect of drying time of silane coupling agent on the hardness value of FRC with the highest hardness value at drying time of 60 s.