Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42279835›Full record

ReviewMaterials (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Bioactive Fillers in Bulk-Fill Composite Resins: A Comprehensive Review of the Effects on Polymerization Shrinkage Behavior and Mechanical Performance.

Vlad Constantin, Ionut Luchian, Ionut Taraboanta, Teona Anamaria Tudorici, Nicoleta Tofan, Florinel Cosmin Bida, Florin Razvan Curca, Dana Gabriela Budala, Dragos Ioan Virvescu, Andrei Georgescu

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Vlad ConstantinGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0009-0008-1447-473X
Ionut LuchianGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0000-0003-0017-9672
Ionut TaraboantaGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0000-0001-5452-916X
Teona Anamaria TudoriciGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.
Nicoleta TofanGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0000-0001-7598-2481
Florinel Cosmin BidaGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0009-0001-0319-0538
Florin Razvan CurcaGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0009-0007-3966-8373
Dana Gabriela BudalaGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0000-0003-2312-6987
Dragos Ioan VirvescuGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0009-0005-6872-179X
Andrei GeorgescuGrigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania.ORCID 0000-0001-7407-844X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Polymerization shrinkage remains a primary cause of marginal failure in posterior composite restorations, contributing to interfacial gap formation and secondary caries development. Bioactive filler technologies represent a paradigm shift, offering simultaneous stress reduction and therapeutic ion release through engineered matrix-filler interactions. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on how bioactive glass (including 45S5), amorphous calcium phosphate, and surface pre-reacted glass-ionomer fillers modulate polymerization shrinkage dynamics and mechanical performance in bulk-fill systems. These systems exhibit distinct mechanisms of bioactivity, with bioactive glass (45S5) promoting ion release and apatite formation, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) enabling rapid calcium phosphate ion delivery for remineralization, and surface pre-reacted glass-ionomer (S-PRG) fillers providing sustained multi-ion release with buffering and antibacterial potential. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published up to June 2025, including experimental investigations and reviews assessing bioactive filler integration, with studies selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria focusing on relevance and reported outcomes. The available evidence indicates that optimized bioactive formulations reduce shrinkage stress by approximately 25-40%, decreasing from 35-40 MPa in conventional systems to 22-32 MPa in bioactive bulk-fill composites while maintaining flexural strength above 100 MPa and elastic modulus within clinically acceptable ranges (11-13 GPa). However, substantial heterogeneity in filler chemistry, loading protocols, and testing methodologies limits cross-study comparisons. This variability also reflects differences in testing conditions, material compositions, and evaluation protocols across studies.

Indexed as

bioactive fillersbulk-fill composite resinsion-releasing systemsmatrix–filler interactionpolymerization shrinkagestress development

Identifiers

PMID42279835
PMCPMC13257924

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.