Cements

Dental Materials2026-08-24Updated 2026-10-272 min read

On this page 17 sections

💡ALL CEMENTS

Feature	Zn phosphate	Zn polycarboxylate	ZOE	CaOH₂	Resin
Main acid/reactant	H₃PO₄	Polyacrylic acid	Eugenol	Salicylate system	Dimethacrylates
Chemical adhesion to tooth	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅ with adhesive systems
Pulpal effect	Irritating initially	Relatively kind	Sedative	Therapeutic	Technique-dependent
Strength	High	Moderate	Low	Very low	High
Main role	Luting/base	Luting/base	Temporary/sedative	Pulp capping/liner	Adhesive luting
Fluoride release	No	No	No	No	Usually no inherent fluoride
Composite compatible?	✅	✅	❌ if eugenol-containing	✅	✅
True adhesion	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅
Main special feature	High strength	Adhesion to tooth	Sedative	Reparative dentin	Strong adhesion/esthetic

💡Base vs liner

Feature	Base	Liner
Thickness	>0.75 mm	0.25 mm
Main purpose	Thermal/mechanical protection	Pulpal protection
Can bear condensation pressure?	Yes	Generally no
Examples	Zn phosphate, ZOE, GIC	Ca(OH)₂

💡Zinc Phosphate

Composition

Powder

Ingredient	Percentage	Role / Function
Zinc Oxide	90.0%	Main active ingredient
Magnesium Oxide	8.2%	Reduces temperature during calcination process
Silicon Dioxide	1.4%	Inactive filler; aids in calcination process during manufacturing
Bismuth Trioxide	0.1%	Imparts smoothness to freshly mixed cement

Liquid

Ingredient	Percentage	Role / Function
Phosphoric Acid	38.2%	Free acid that reacts with powder particles
Aluminum Phosphate & Zinc Phosphate	16.2%	Act as buffers to stabilize pH and reduce reactivity, establishing a smooth, non-granular mass
Water	36.0%	Controls ionization of acid and influences acid-base reaction rate

Factors

Change	Effect
Small increments of powder	↑ working + setting time
Slow powder incorporation	↓ heat concentration
↓ powder incorporation rate	Retards set
Small amount of powder initially	Prevents rapid viscosity increase
Loss of water from liquid	Prolongs setting
Additional water	Accelerates reaction

💡ZINC POLYCARBOXYLATE

POWDER

Component	Role
Zinc oxide	Main reactive component
Magnesium oxide	Modifier
Stannic oxide	May substitute MgO
Bismuth oxide	May be added
Aluminum oxide	May be added
Stannous fluoride	Modifies setting time

💡LIQUID

Component	Amount / fact	Role
Polyacrylic acid	32–42 wt%	Main reactive acid
Acrylic acid + itaconic/tartaric acid copolymer	—	Stabilizes liquid, prevents gelation

💡ZOE

POWDER

Component	Amount	Function
ZnO	69.0%	Primary reactive agent
White rosin / abietic acid	29.3%	↓ brittleness; ↑ working time
Zinc stearate	1.0%	Plasticizer
Zinc acetate	0.7%	Accelerator; improves strength

LIQUID

Component	Amount	Function
Eugenol	85%	Reactive agent
Olive oil	15%	Plasticizer
Acetic acid	—	Accelerator

SETTING FACTORS

Factor	Effect
Water	↑ setting rate
Zinc acetate dihydrate	↑ setting rate
Acetic acid	Stronger catalyst than water
Higher temperature	↑ setting
Higher P/L ratio	↑ setting

💡CALCIUM HYDROXIDE

Base paste

Component	Amount / role
Glycol salicylate	40% — primary reactive agent
Titanium oxide	Filler/pigment
Calcium sulfate	Filler
Calcium tungstate	Radiopaque component
Tribasic calcium phosphate	Filler
Other fillers/pigments/radiopacifiers	Modification

Catalyst paste

Component	Amount	Function
Calcium hydroxide	50%	Primary reactive agent
Zinc oxide	10%	Primary reactive agent
Zinc stearate	0.5%	Accelerator
Ethyl toluene sulphonamide	39.5%	Oil compound/carrier