Alternative methacrylate‐tethering methods for resin‐modified glass‐ionomer cements

We have explored two novel methacrylate‐tethering methods for resin‐modified glass‐ionomer cements using 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GM) as a tethering agent. Both were compared with the published method using 2‐isocyanatoethyl methacrylate (IEM). The tethering reactions were monitored using FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that IEM and HEMA tethering reactions were relatively fast compared with the GM‐tethering, even though all three tethering reactions can be completed within 6 h. The cements composed of the IEM‐tethered polymer showed the highest CS, DTS, and modulus, followed by the cements composed of the HEMA‐ and GM‐tethered polymers, which was attributed to different chemical bonds introduced. It appears that both alternative tethering methods are quite equivalent to IEM‐tethering based on the strength and reaction efficiency. The results suggest that HEMA and GM can be used as promising methacrylate‐tethering alternatives for resin‐modified glass‐ionomer applications.