Evaluation of bioactivity in vitro of endodontic calcium aluminate cement

Bioactivity is referred to as the capacity of a material to develop a stable bond with living tissue via the deposition of hydroxyapatite. Materials which exhibit this property can be used to repair diseased or damaged bone tissue and can be designed to remain in situ indefinitely. An indication of bioactivity can be obtained by the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on the surface of a substrate in simulated body fluids (SBF) in vitro. Therefore, set samples of calcium aluminate endodontic cement were maintained in contact with SBF solutions (Kokubo and Rigo) and their surfaces were later evaluated by means of SEM, EDX and DRX. Measurements of pH and ionic conductivity were also carried out for SBF solutions in contact with set samples of endodontic cement. The ideal conditions of precipitation were obtained in SBF Rigo been observed a surface layer with spherical morphology characteristic of stoichiometric hydroxyapatite.(author)