Dental composites containing hybrid fillers and process for their production

A process for the production of a dental material comprising:

• mixing together a polymerizable binder, a catalyst for cold-, heat-, or photo-polymerization and 0.5-75 wt. % in relation to the dental material of a hybrid filler (A) and 0.0-95 wt. % in relation to the dental material of other fillers (B) and 0.0-2 wt. % of other conventional additives (C) wherein hybrid filler (A) is prepared by sintering a mixture of filler (B) and one or more primary particles of oxides, fluorides, sulfates, phosphates, borides, nitrides, carbides and/or silicides of elements of Groups I to V of the Periodic Table of Elements,
• wherein before sintering, hybrid filler (A) is spray dried at <200° C.

Hybrid filler (A), comprising a sintered heterogeneous mixture of a filler (B) and one or more primary particles of oxides, fluorides, sulfates, phosphates, borides, nitrides, carbides and/or silicides of elements of Groups I to V of the Periodic Table of Elements,

• wherein the pore volume of hybrid filler (A) is >0-2000 mm3/g,
• wherein the pore diameter of hybrid filler (A) is >0-1000 nm.

A porous hybrid filler (A) comprising a sintered heterogeneous mixture of filler (B) and one or more primary particles of oxides, fluorides, sulfates, phosphates, borides, nitrides, carbides and/or silicides of elements of Groups I to V of the Periodic Table of Elements, loaded with a polymerizable or polymerized monomer.

A dental material composition comprising a polymerizable monomer as a binder ethylenically unsaturated monomer, epoxide, ormocer, liquid crystalline monomer, oxethane, spiroorthoester or -carbonate, a catalyst for cold-, heat- and/or photo-polymerization of said binder and 0.5-75 wt. % based on the dental material of a hybrid filler (A) and 0.0-95 wt. % based on the dental material of other fillers (B), wherein hybrid filler (A) comprises a sintered heterogeneous mixture of at least one filler (B) and one or more primary particles of an oxide, fluoride, sulfate, phosphate, boride, nitride, carbide or silicide of an element selected from Group I to V of the Periodic Table of Elements, said filler B being selected from the group consisting of microfine, pyrogenic or precipitated silica,

• wherein the pore volume of hybrid filler (A) is >0-2000 mm3/g,
• wherein the pore diameter of hybrid filler (A) is >0-1000 nm.

A dental material composition comprising a polymerizable monomer as a binder ethylenically unsaturated monomer, epoxide, ormocer, liquid crystalline monomer, oxethane, spiroorthoester or -carbonate, a catalyst for cold-, heat- and/or photo-polymerization of said binder and 0.5-75 wt. % based on the dental material of a hybrid filler (A) and 0.0-95 wt. % based on the dental material of other fillers (B), wherein hybrid filler (A) comprises a sintered heterogeneous mixture of at least one filler (B) and one or more primary particles of an oxide, fluoride, sulfate, phosphate, boride, nitride, carbide or silicide of an element selected from Group I to V of the Periodic Table of Elements, said filler (B) being selected from the group consisting of glass, TiO2, zirconium oxide and fluoroapatite particles,

• wherein the pore volume of hybrid filler (A) is >0-2000 mm3/g,
• wherein the pore diameter of hybrid filler (A) is >0-1000 nm.

A process for the production of a hybrid filler comprising:

• sintering together a filler and one or more oxides, fluorides, sulfates, phosphates, borides, nitrides, carbides and/or silicides of elements of Groups I to V of the Periodic Table of Elements to form the hybrid filler,
• wherein the hybrid filler has a pore volume of 50-1500 mm3/g and a pore diameter of 20-100 nm.