A comparative study of white mineral trioxide aggregate and white Portland cements using X-ray microanalysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the composition of white mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA) and two different white Portland cements (WPCs). Samples of WMTA and WPCs were prepared and then imaged in a JEOL JSM6400 scanning electron microscope, equipped with an Oxford Instruments light element energy dispersive spectrometer detector for determining the elemental composition. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) results indicated that lime (CaO) and silica (SiO2) were the dominant compounds in each case. The results showed that the trace elements are similar in all of the samples but there was no detectable trace of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) in WPCs. The range of crystal sizes observed in WMTA was found to be distinctly smaller than those observed in the WPCs. It was concluded that there is no significant difference between the dominant compounds in both WMTA and WPCs except the presence of bismuth oxide in WMTA.