Finishing of glass ionomer retroseals

Various techniques have been suggested for the finishing of retrosealing materials. By measuring marginal leakage and by the use of scanning electronic microscopy, this study evaluated the use of bone files, burnishers, and Shofu points for the finishing of 60 retrosealings done with glass ionomer. With each of the three finishing agents, one group of teeth was polished with movements directed from the palatal toward the buccal, and in another group it was done from the center of the retroseal toward the margins of the cavity. ANOVA showed significant differences among the groups according to the way the finishing was done. The use of instruments from the center to the margins of the cavity rather than in just one direction always caused less leakage. The Shofu stone and the burnisher caused equivalent leakage which was significantly less than that caused by bone files. Scanning electron microscopic photos show that the use of the instrument in only one direction caused the material to shift away from the palatal side. This shift always led to greater leakage of dyes on that side.