Eu³⁺ doped monetite and its use as fluorescent agent for dental restorations

Abstract

It is essential but challenging to distinguish the dental restorations from the surrounding teeth when removing filling materials from cavity. In this study, Eu3+ doped monetite was proposed as a fluorescent agent for dental restorations to meet this challenge. Eu3+ doped monetite with enhanced fluorescent property was obtained via a precipitation method. The presence of Eu3+ could prevent the phase transformation of brushite to monetite. However, all the brushite particles transformed to monetite at 300 °C and to tricalcium phosphate at 800 °C. The emission intensity increased with the addition of Eu3+ and reached the maximum when 12 mol% Eu3+ was added into the aqueous solution. With either 254 nm or 393 nm excitation, Eu3+ doped monetite showed the strongest fluorescence emission peaking at 616 nm and other two moderate bands peaking at 699 nm and 593 nm. The excitation spectra at the emission wavelength of 616 nm showed strong absorption peaks at 254 nm and 393 nm. We further investigate the fluorescence properties of Eu3+ doped monetite in one type of dental restorations. Glass ionomer cement with Eu3+ doped monetite exhibited clear fluoresce with origin color under UV irradiation at 254 nm, showing that Eu3+ doped monetite is a promising fluorescent agent for dental restorations.