STYLUS-BASED TACTILE PROFILOMETER CAN PRODUCE RELIABLE RESULTS OF GLASS IONOMERS’ SURFACE ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENT: INTER- AND INTRA-OPERATOR RELIABILITY STUDY

The roughness measuring instruments, which analyze the roughness degree of sample surface using a stylus, can give limited information about surface alterations. The alternative three-dimensional surface mapping methods have better performance, but their spread is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-operator reliability of surface roughness measurements by three independent operators with a tactile stylus-based profilometer on glass ionomer specimens. Material and methods: Ten light-cured glass ionomer specimens, prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions from premeasured unit dose capsules of GC Fuji II LC CAPSULE, have been selected. Three previously trained operators measured individually in four diagonals the surface roughness of samples with MarSurf XR1 roughness measuring instrument. After ten days the measurements were repeated using the same protocol. The Average Roughness was used to characterize the surface texture. Intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated for both individual and group measurements to check the level of reliability of the used technique. Results: The inter- and intra-operator reliability of the measurements showed high degrees, the coefficient values being in the good (0.75-0.90) and excellent (>0.90) categories of reliability. Conclusions: Linear surface roughness measurements of dental materials using a tactile roughness measuring device can be performed with high reliability by single or multiple users. This procedure has its limitations and further studies, with more materials, are warranted in this topic.