Rheological approach for determining yield stresses in flowable resin composites prior to setting

The purpose of this study is to develop a method for quantifying the fluidity of flowable resin composites using determinations of yield stress. Five commercially available composites (AliteFlo LV, Flow-it ALC, Venus flow, Tetric N-flow, Revolution Formula2) were investigated. Yield stress values were obtained by plotting shear stresses for a range of shear rates, followed by fitting of Casson fluid models to flow curve data and extrapolation to the stress axis. To confirm that yield stress reflected fluidity, apparent viscosity at the lower shear rate (0.2 s(-1)) was calculated from flow curves. Yield stresses ranged from 5.4 to 43.1 Pa, and were found to capture differences in the fluidity of composites that were not captured by viscosity measurement at the low shear rate. Yield stress is directly proportional to fluidity, and could serve as a simple and precise indicator for selecting flowable resin composites for use in various clinical applications.