Microleakage--full crowns and the dental pulp

Recent studies have described microleakage under full crowns cemented with several different cements. This study tested three different types of crown margin preparations--a chamfer, a shoulder, and a shoulder plus a bevel to determine whether or not the margin preparation could affect microleakage. All crowns were cemented with zinc phosphate cement. The crowns were tested for leakage in thermocycled dye. All crowns demonstrated significant leakage following the path of the dentinal tubules into the pulp. This could possibly be one of the causes of pulpal inflammation and even pulpal death under full crowns.