Microleakage of conventional and microfilled composite restorative resins

Microfilled composite resins have been introduced in clinical dentistry because of the difficulty in finishing conventional composite resins satisfactorily. Owing to the difference in coefficients of thermal expansion of the two resin systems, the objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate microleakage of a conventional and a microfilled composite resin. Class V cavities with butt cavosurface margins were prepared in the middle third of the facial surfaces of the crowns of 80 noncarious human premolar teeth; they were acid etched within the preparations only. Forty preparations were restored with Concise composite and forty with Silar microfilled resin. Ten teeth from each group were subjected to cyclic temperature changes between 5 and 55 degrees C for 1000, 2500, or 5000 cycles, respectively, and ten teeth from each group were not cycled (controls). After suitable preparation, the teeth were immersed in 45Ca solution for 18 h and contact radiographs were prepared. Microleakage was scored 0-3 at both the cervical and occlusal margins of the restorations. Microleakage was significantly greater at the cervical margins than at the occlusal margins. Differences within occlusal and cervical microleakages among the two resins were not significant.