Significance of thermal cycling in microleakage analysis of root restorations

Root surface cavities prepared in extracted premolars were restored with a selection of restorative materials. Prior to eosin dye immersion, one group of teeth was kept at constant temperature whilst another group underwent thermal cycling. The teeth were sectioned transversely through the restorations and an assessment of the degree of microleakage was used to compare the sealing ability of the selected materials. Eosin dye was able to discriminate more effectively between the microleakage behaviour of the restorative materials when samples were kept at a constant temperature.