Marginal leakage and microhardness evaluation of low-shrinkage resin-based restorative materials

This study sought to compare the marginal leakage and microhardness of low-shrinkage resin-based dental restorative materials containing ormocer- and silorane-based composites to that of conventional methacrylate-based systems. A total of 50 noncarious extracted human teeth were collected after debridement and standard Class V cavities were prepared. Teeth were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 10) and restored with 5 types of resin-based restorative material composites: hybrid, microhybrid, nanohybrid, ormocer-based, and silorane-based. After thermocycling, all teeth were placed in a silver nitrate solution, sectioned longitudinally in a buccolingual direction, and observed under a stereomicroscope to determine the degree of dye penetration. Data were analyzed using a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test (P < 0.05). For the microhardness test, five specimens were made for each restorative material, using Teflon molds with disk-shaped specimen wells. Specimens were photocured and placed in distilled water (at 37°C) for 24 hours. Vickers Hardness Number (VHN) measurements were performed using a microhardness tester. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests. In terms of microhardness, there was no statistically significant difference among the resin-based restorative materials (P > 0.05). The degree of microleakage at the gingival margins was lowest for the silorane composite, followed by microhybrid and nanohybrid. The silorane composite was significantly lower than that of the ormocer and hybrid composites (P < 0.05). Based on the results of this study, it was concluded that the silorane-based composite material could provide a marginal seal comparable to that provided by microhybrid or nanohybrid resin composites.