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Histobacteriological analysis of acid red dye-stainable dentin found beneath intact amalgam restorations
1Temple University School of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry, Philadelphia, PA 19140.
Abstract:
This study determined histologically the incidence of acid red dye-stainable dentin and its correlation to bacterial presence beneath intact clinically sound amalgam restorations. Fourteen of 16 clinically sound amalgam restorations (88%), serving an average of 11 years, had microscopically evident microorganisms in the subjacent dentin. Eleven of the 14 specimens containing bacteria (79%) exhibited acid red dye-stainable dentin. There was no obvious correlation between dye-stainable dentin and the presence of bacteria on the walls of the cavity preparations studied. The question of how much dye-stainable dentin can be present beneath an amalgam restoration before the restoration fails is still unanswered.
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