Margin adaptation of dispersion and traditional amalgams with reference to plasticity: a clinical comparison

Margin adaptation of dental amalgam restorations made from traditional vs. dispersion-type alloy was compared by clinical evaluation with the reference to plasticity of the mix at insertion. Also, variations in sealing properties were assessed for precondensed and not-precondensed amalgam mixes of both alloys. The data presented confirm the clinical superiority of amalgam made from dispersed type alloy. A higher plasticity tended to result in less margin deterioration for amalgams of the traditional type alloy. In vitro leakage with the dispersion type amalgam far exceeded that of the traditional amalgam.