Synthesis of Metakaolin-zirconia-apatite ...

The increased use and research on direct composite restorations materials are mainly attributed to the demand for esthetic and excellent strength restorations. Early composites that were used for restoration process tend to had unfavorable properties, such as weak and having bad interaction with teeth interface. Combination of metakaolin-zirconia-apatite can yield a very good composite for teeth restoration application. It produces high hardness and good interaction with the teeth. The Vickers hardness test showed that metakaolin-zirconia-apatite nanocomposite produce excellent hardness, which reac h 37.5 VHN. The Scanning electron microscope characterization showed that there were no shrinkage observed on the interface of the teeth in the application of the nanocomposite as the restoration materials. From this result, it can be said that the composite has a good interaction with the teeth for the restoration application.