Comparison of microleakage of experimental and selected commercially available bonding system

The microleakages of composite restorations bonded with two commercial and two experimental systems were observed. A high-viscosity condensable composite and a low-viscosity composite were used as the restorative materials. The bonding systems used were two widely accepted commercial brands and two experimental systems, one containing ferric oxalate and the other aluminum oxalate. Restorations were placed in cavities prepared in extracted human teeth and treated with the various bonding systems. These restorations were stored in 37 degrees C water for 24 hours and then polished. The restored teeth were subjected to seven days of thermocycling (5 degrees C-55 degrees C for 540 cycles per day). Microleakage was detected and scored from 0-4 according to the degree of stain penetration. The experimental systems had lower scores than the commercial systems. The high-viscosity composite restorations had microleakage scores higher than those of the lower-viscosity composite restorations.