Effects of Apple Vinegar, Mouthwashes, and Bleaching on Color Stability and Surface Properties of Fiber-Reinforced and Non-Reinforced Restorative Materials

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of apple cider vinegar (ACV), vari-ous mouthwashes and bleaching on the color and surface roughness of fiber rib-bon-reinforced and unreinforced restorative materials. The materials were resin com-posite (RC), resin-nanoceramic (RNC), and polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (PICN); the mouthwashes were chlorhexidine with alcohol (CXA), chlorhexidine without alcohol (CX), herbal with alcohol (HRA), and herbal without alcohol (HR). Measurements were taken at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 day), T2 (2.5 days) and T3 (after bleaching). ANOVA and Bonferroni analyses revealed that roughness from T0–T3 was highest for RNC and lowest for PICN. Regarding the solutions, the highest increase was in ACV and lowest in artificial saliva (p < 0.001). At T0–T2, ΔE00 and ΔWID were highest in CXA and lowest in HR. At T2–T3, ΔE00 was highest in ACV, while ΔWID was highest in CXA (p < 0.001). Although the roughness exceeded the bacterial adhesion threshold, the effect of bleaching was not considerable. Color and whiteness changes generally did not exceed the acceptability threshold. Fiber ribbon position did not af-fect roughness. However, a ribbon in middle layer had higher impact on color and whiteness than one in the top layer.