INTRODUCTION

ZINC OXIDE EUGENOL CEMENT

Certain types of zinc oxide, when

mixed with eugenol, set to a hard
cement that is compatible with the
hard and soft tissues of the mouth.
These
cements
have
been
used
extensively in dentistry since 1980s.
for example: Lining cavities, cementing
restorations, as bases, root canal
sealants, periodontal dressings, and
temporary
and
intermediate
restorations. Depending on their use,
they vary widely in their properties. In
general, they are cements of low

Also they are the least irritating of all

dental cements, and are known to have an
obtundant eff ect on exposed dentin. To
improve the strength, many modifi ed zinc
oxide-eugenol
cements
have
been
introduced; e.g. EBA alumins modifi ed and
polymer reinforced zinc oxide-eugenol
cements. Recently noncugenol zinc oxide
cements have become available. They are
suitable for patients sensitive to eugenol.
Experimental
vanillate
and
syringe
cements without eugenol are presently
under investigation.

CHEMISTRY AND SETTING

ZOE cement is formulated as a powder

liquid or two paste system. The powder
contains zinc oxide particles and the liquid
is eugenol. For the two paste system, the
base paste contains zinc oxide powder and
the eugenol is contained in the accelerator.
The setting reaction starts with water in
the eugenol solution that hydrolyzes and
eugenol chelate and solidify. The setting
reaction is slow but proceeds more rapidly
in a warm, humid environment .

A wide variety of ZOE cements are available,

with compressive strengths ranging from 3 to
55 MPa, which makes ZOE formulations best
suited for provisional applications.
Finer powders increase the strength of
resulting cement. Residual free eugenol
interferes with the proper setting of resin
based
composites
or
resins
cements;
therefore various types of carboxylic acids
have been used to replace eugenol and
produce a ZOE like material. These products
are called zinc oxide noneugenol cements.

Other modifi cations have been made to improve

the strength and abrasion resistance of ZOE
cement for long term luting. One system
substitutes orthoethoxybenzoic acid for part of
the eugenol liquid, and includes alumina in the
powder. Another system consists of eugenol
liquid and a special powder containing of 20% to
40% by weight of fi ne polymer particles and
zinc oxide particles that have been surfaced
treated with carboxylic acid. The compressive
strength of these improved ZOE cements is
acceptable but their strength values are inferior
to those of zinc phosphate, glass ionomer and
resin cements.

CLASSIFICATION

ADA specifi cation No. 30 has listed 4

types of Zinc oxide-eugenol restorative
materials.
Type I ZOE - For temporary
cementation
Type II ZOE - Permanent cementation
TYPE III ZOE - Temporary fi lling
material
and thermal
insulation
Type IV ZOE - Cavity Liners.

It is dispensed in two forms:

Powder and liquid
Two-paste system
Commercial names
Unmodifi ed
Tempac
Type III
Cavitic
Type IV
Tempbond
Type I
EBA Alumina modifi ed
Optow
Alumnina
EBA
Type II
Polymer modifi ed
Fynal
Type II
IRM
Type III
Noneugenol
Neogenol
Type I
Freegenol
Type I

COMPOSITION

POWDER
Zinc oxide

69.0%

Principal ingredient

White rosin

29.3%

To reduce brittleness of set cement

Zinc stearate

1.0%

Accelerator, plasticizer

Zinc acetate

0.7%

Accelerator improves strength

Magnesium

Its added in some powders

oxide

It

acts

with

eugenol

manner as zinc oxide

Liquid

Eugenol

85.0

Reacts with zinc oxide

Olive oil

15.0

Plasticizer

in

similar

SETTING

As the basic components of the

cement are zinc oxide and
eugenol, the setting reaction
and microstructure are the
same as that of the impression
pastes. In the first reaction
hydrolysis of zinc oxide to its
hydroxide takes place.

 ZnO
+
H2O
Zn (OH) 2
Hydrolysis
The reaction proceeds as a typical acid base reaction to
form a chelate.
Zn(OH) 2
+ 2HE
ZnE 2 + 2H 2 O
Base

Acid

Salt

STRUCTURE OF SET
CEMENT

The set cement consists of particles of

zinc oxide embedded in a matrix of
particles of zinc eugenolate.
Setting time: 4-10 min.
Factors aff ecting setting time: The
complete reaction between zinc oxide
and eugenol takes place in about 12 hrs.
this is too slow for clinical convenience.

Manufacture: The most active zinc

powders
are
those
formed
by
decomposing zinc salts like hydroxide
and zinc carbonate by heating at 300 0 C.
Particle size: Cements from powders
containing smaller zinc oxide particles
set faster.
Accelerator : Alcohol, glacial acetic
acid, and small amounts of water
accelerate the reaction.

Heat
:
Higher
temperature
accelerate setting
Lower Temperature, e.g. cooling
the glass slab, slows the reaction.
Retarders : The set can be
retarded with glycol and glycerine.
Powder to liquid rate: The higher
the ratio, the faster the set .

PROPERTIES

Mechanical properties
Compressive strength: They are relatively weak
cements. The strength depends on the intended
use of the materials. For example, cements
intended for temporary purposes like temporary
restorations and cementation (type I) and cavity
lining (type IV), will have a lower strength.
Cements intended for permanent cementation
(type II) and intermediate restorations will be
stronger. The compressive strength ranges from a
low of 3 to 4 MPa up to 50-55 MPa. Particle size
aff ects the strength. In general, the smaller the
particle size, the stronger the cement. The
strength can also be increased by reinforcing with
alumina EBA or polymers.

Tensile
strength:
It
varies
according to its intended use
Ranges from 0.32 to 5.8 MPa.
Modulus of elasticity: This is an
important
property
for
those
cements intended for use as bases
Ranges from 0.22 to 5.4 Gpa.

Thermal Properties
Thermal Conductivity : Their thermal
insulating properties are excellent and
are approximately the same as for
human
dentin.
The
thermal
conductivity of zinc oxide eugenol is in
the range of insulators like cork and
asbestos
Co-effi cient of thermal expansion 35
x 10 -6 / 0 C.

Solubility
and
Disintegration:
This
property is important for cements used
for permanent cementation: 0.04% wt. the
solubility of the set cement is high, the
highest among the dental cements. They
disintegrate in oral fl uids. This breakdown
is due to hydrolysis of the zinc eugenolate
matrix to form zinc hydroxides and
eugenol.
Solubility
is
reduced
by
increasing the powder/liquid ratio.

Film thickness: This property

is important for those cements
used of restorations. The film
thickness of zinc oxide eugenol
cements is higher than other
cements

Adhesion: These cements do not

adhere to enamel or dentin. This is
one of the reasons why they are not
often used for fi nal cementation of
dental restoration.
Biological properties
pH and eff ect on pulp: They are the
least irritating of all dental cements.
In terms of pulpal response they are
classifi ed as mild. pH is 6.6 to 8.0

CLINICAL
MANIPULATION

The versatile uses of ZOE are refl ected in

ANSI/ADA specifi cation No. 30 or ISO 3107;
Dentistry Zinc Oxide/eugenol cements and zinc
oxide/non-eugenol cements, which lists four
types of ZOE cements by clinical application: (I)
temporary cementation; (II) temporary fi llings
and thermal cementation of fi xed prostheses; (III)
temporary fi llings and thermal insulating bases
and (IV) intermediate fi llings. ZOE cement is also
used as a root canal sealer and periodontal
dressings. Its antimicrobial attribute is a benefi t
compared with glass ionomer cements or resin
based composites.

Temporary ZOE cements, including eugenol free

cement, are excellent for luting provisional acrylic
crowns and fi xed partial dentures. Temporary ZOE
restorations are expected to last a few weeks at most.
They seal the dentinal tubules surprisingly well against
the ingress of oral fl uids and have sedative eff ect on
the pulp. Hence irritation caused by microleakage is
minimized and these cements are suitable for
temporary restorative treatment while the pulp heals or
until al longer lasting restoration can be fabricated and
cemented. The ZOE cements can cause pulp necrosis
and should not be used directly on pulp. ZOE cements
should never be used for temporary cementation of
fi nal fi xed prostheses since the cement can be diffi cult
to remove and removal can risk the integrity of the
prepared teeth.

When ZOE cement is mixed to a stiff

puttylike
consistency,
it
serves
eff ectively
as
an
intermediate
restorative material for at least a year.
Mixing on a cool glass slab slows the
setting to enable the formation of a
thick consistency but the slab should
not be colder than the dew point;
otherwise water will condense onto the
cement and accelerate the reaction.
ZOE luting cements used for long term
applications are somewhat diffi cult to

ZOE cement is one of the several cements of

choice
for
implant
superstructure
cementation. One of the disadvantages of
restoring dental implants with a cementretained prostheses is the lack of easy
retrievability of the cemented superstructure.
Retentive cement can damage the supporting
implant if the prosthesis is removed with
aggressive removal techniques; on the other
hand less retentive cement causes frequent
loosening of the prostheses. As a result,
practitioners who desire retrievability have
generally gravitated toward using cements
with lower retentive properties.

ZOE cement is one of the several cements

choice
for
implant
superstructure
cementation. Mechanical factors such as
resistance/retention
form,
height,
distribution,
number
of
abutments,
accuracy of superstructure fi t, as well as
maxillary versus mandibular arch-strongly
infl uence
the
degree
of
cement
retentiveness
required
for
a
given
restoration. Knowledge of the relative
retentiveness of cements improves the
clinicians success in choosing a cement .