Analysis of pH and cytotoxic activity of locally produced radiopaque white Portland cement

Background: Portland cement (PC)-based formulations show continuous developments. Purpose: This study examined the pH and cytotoxic activity of a locally produced Malaysian white PC (MAWPC) mixed with different radiopacifying agents (barium sulfate [BS], niobium oxide [NO], and bismuth oxide [BO]) on human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPLFs). Materials and Methods: 0.8 g of MAWPC was mixed with 0.2 g of each radiopacifying agent and sterile distilled water. Five tablets of each group were prepared. After setting, the samples were immersed in 10-ml sterile distilled water and stored at 37°C, and the pH was measured at intervals of 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14 days using a calibrated digital pH meter. One-way ANOVA was used for data analysis ( P = 0.05). For cytotoxic activity, the material extracts were prepared at three serial concentrations (25, 12.5, and 6.25 mg/ml), and 200 ml of each concentration was added into each well seeded with cultured HPLFs. The plates were then incubated for 48 h. The cell viability was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and the data were analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis test ( P = 0.05) Results: The pH values of all groups were significantly higher compared to the control group ( P P Conclusions: The addition of radiopacifying agents to MAWPC maintained its high pH and favored the viability of HPLFs.