Abstract
The mechanical properties of glass ionomers, with and without silver addition, for manual mixing and for mechanical mixing, were examined using commercial products. The shear bond strength of the same materials to non-treated human tooth was also examined. The mechanical properties and bond strength of silver-added materials were significantly lower than those of conventional ones. The bond strength to dentin was similar regardless of the addition of silver; however, that to enamel was statistically lower with silver-added materials. No significant difference was observed between the materials for manual mixing and mechanical mixing, whether the material was silver-added or not. The bond strength correlated highly with diametral tensile and flexural strength, but the compressive strength did not have such a relationship.
