Q&A about Giomer / S-PRG filler

Q.1 Is Giomer categorized as glass-ionomer cement?
A N0. Giomer is not categorized as glass-ionomer cement.
Because acid-base reaction is used in the manufacturing process, the name S-PRG filler contains the term "glass-ionomer".
This might be a reason for Giomer to be misunderstood as glass-ionomer cement.
However, if S-PRG filler containing glass-ionomer cement is developed which currently does not exist as a product in Giomer, it will be a Giomer material and categorized as glass-ionomer cement as well.
Q.2 Is Giomer limited to composite resin?
A N0. Giomer is not limited to composite resin.
However, in the Giomer category there are S-PRG filler containing composite resins.
They belong to composite resins and the should be expressed as "Giomer composite resins" or "Giomer restoratives".
Q.3 Is Giomer limited to restorative materials?
A N0. Previously, Giomer has a strong image of restorative material because there were only products used for restoration such as adhesives and composite resins, however, Giomer does not represent only restorative materials. As a part of Giomer there are many restorative materials such as Beautifil II, Beautifil Flow Plus X, Beautifil Bulk, and those products are expressed as "Giomer composite resins" or "Giomer restorative".
Q.4 Is Giomer limited to resin materials?
A N0. It is not limited only to resin materials.
In addition to resin-based materials, Giomer includes inorganic temporary cement, prophylaxis paste, and polishing paste.
We are currently working to expand both the product lineup and the application areas, furthermore, we plan to deploy products to areas such as endodontic, oral hygiene, and oral care, in the near future.
Q.5 Is Giomer a hybrid of glass-ionomer cement and composite resin?
A N0. At the very beginning of announcing Giomer/PRG technology to the world, Giomer had only restorative materials such as adhesives and composite resins, therefore, while referring to glass-ionomer cements used in the same restorative category and to focus on the sustained release of fluoride ions, the expression of "glass-ionomer cement and composite resin" was used to name the greatest feature.
At present, Giomer concept has changed to the greatest feature of "bioactive effect by the multi-ion release (6 kinds of ions)".
The development area of Giomer has been expanded to incorporate various dental products for dental treatment and oral care. The new concept of Giomer is "bioactive material", not the combination of glass-ionomer cement and composite resin.
Q.6 What is the difference between Giomer and Compomer?
A "Those two are completely different. The name of ""Compomer"" is derived from a coined phrase ""COMPO site Resin"" and ""Glass-iono Mer cement"".
Compomer is a filling material composed of polymerizable monomer, a photocatalyst, and a filler as main components, which is characterized by always containing an acidic monomer (carboxy group-containing) and fluoroaminosilicate basic glass as a filler.
After a compomer is filled into a cavity and light-polymerized, it absorbs water such as saliva in the oral cavity, then, a glass-ionomer phase is formed by an acid-base reaction of carboxy group in the polymerized polymer network and the filler of the fluoroaminosilicate glass.
This is the mechanism in which a compomer release fluoride ions. An acid-base reaction produced by absorbing water after polymerization is accompanied by a secondary structural change, there is a concern about material durability.
On the other hand, Giomer contains S-PRG filler that has a pre-formed glass-ionomer phase which functions as a reservoir that traps and release large amount of multi-ion.
There are not secondary structural changes which affect material durability.
Therefore, Giomer is different from compomer in all aspects such as material structure and concept. "
Q.7 What is the origin of the name "Giomer"?
A S-PRG filler in Giomer is produced by using an acid-base reaction.
Initially, the main concept of Giomer is that it releases and recharges fluoride from resin polymer materials by adding S-PRG filler which is referring the greatest feature of glass-ionomer cement.
However, the concept of Giomer has been improving, expanding, and changing to a new generation.
The latest concept of Giomer is the bioactive effect by 6 kinds of multi-ion released from S-PRG filler.
This is because the effects are attributed to the glass-ionomer phase (which functions as a reservoir that traps and releases a large amount of multi-ion) formed in S-PRG filler, therefore, the origin of "Giomer" name should be re-interpreted to come from "Glass IOnoMER phase".
Q.8 Is fluoride release and recharge the greatest feature of Giomer?
A N0. That is a big misunderstanding.
The greatest feature of Giomer is the multi-ion release & recharge.
The fluoride ion is just one of these multi-ion release from S-PRG filler, and there are 5 more types of ions: strontium ion, borate ion, sodium ion, aluminum ion, and silicate ion.
Due to a synergistic effect of these 6 types of ions, their various bioactive effects are introduced in this website.
Q.9 Does the multi-ion released from Giomer composite resin diffuse throughout the oral cavity?
A Since the restored area filled with Giomer composite resin is relatively small comparing to the entire oral cavity, the bioactive effect by multi-ion release is expected to be limited around the restoration area and the bonded interface.