[Effects of composite resin materials on gingiva and pulp]

Composite resin materials are now widely used for dental therapy. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of composite resins on gingiva and pulp in case of application of them for temporally splint in periodontal treatment. 60 teeth in 6 female dogs ranging between 1 and 2 years of age with healty teeth and gingiva were divieded to 4 groups; (1) 12 teeth, controls; (2) 12 teeth, self-cured composite resin (Clearfil F II, CF II); (3) 18 teeth, light-cured resin (Belfel LX, BLX), curing time 20 sec. and (4) 18 teeth, BLX, 40 sec., and then 48 class V composite resins were restored supragingivally. The experimental procedure were carried out for 5 days and 30 days. Histopathological observations of 60 teeth inclusive of controls were made by applying to specimens with Hematoxylin eosin staining. For the materials and time periods in this study it was found that; 1. Light-cured composite resin was superior to self-cured composite resin on handlings. 2. There were no significant differences in periodontium between the experimentals (BLX, CF II) and controls in 5 days. At the 30 days the histologic score showed more gingivitis for the experimental teeth than for the controls (BLX-40 greater than BLX-20 greater than CF II greater than Cont.). 3. At 5 days hyperemia occurred in some cases of experimentals (both BLX and CF II). The appearance of predentin and changes of odontblastic layer were observed slightly in 30 days. But there were no significant differences between BLX and CF II. 4. The result suggested that applying to composite resin materials for temporally splint, both gingiva and pulp have to be protected.