Radiopacity of experimental composite resins containing radiopaque materials

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the radiopacity of an experimental light-cured composite resin and the amount and type of its radiopaque material: Ti, SrCO3, ZrO2, BaSO4, or Bi2O3. Radiopacity of each material was evaluated in terms of aluminum equivalent thickness using an aluminum step wedge. Then, the half-value layer thickness of the experimental composite resin, which had an aluminium equivalent thickness of I mm, was evaluated. It was found that the effects of elemental composition were not identical when evaluated in terms of aluminum equivalent thickness and by half-value layer. Nevertheless, both measurement methods indicated that radiopacity increased with increase in radiopaque material content as well as increase in atomic number of the element.