A clinical comparison of two cements for levels of post-operative sensitivity in a practice-based setting

This study compared the post-operative results of cementing full crowns (all metal or PFM) with either a conventional (Fuji I, GC; n=102) or a resin modified GI luting cement (Rely X, 3M/ESPE; n=107).

Ten private practitioners fabricated 209 crowns using standardized preparation/luting criteria and randomly assigned cements. Patients self-reported temperature and biting sensitivity, on a 0-10 scale at 24 hours, one week, one month and three months post-cementation. Data were analyzed using t-tests, confirmatory Mann-Whitney tests and Pearson correlations, with a significance level of p < or = 0.05.

Of all patients, 50.7% reported any sensitivity at any time period. Mean sensitivity for all patients on the 10-point scale was 0.52 for temperature and 0.23 for biting. Cements did not differ in cold or biting sensitivity at any time. There were many significant (though low) correlations between the sensitivity measures and age (inverse relationship) and dentin area of preparation (direct). The practice-based format provided a viable alternative to performing clinical research.