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A study of the apical microleakage of a gallium alloy as a retrograde filling material
N Hosoya1, E P Lautenschlager, E H Greener
1Department of Endodontics and Periodontics, Tsurumi University, School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
Abstract:
The feasibility of utilizing mercury-free Gallium alloy GF for retrograde filling was investigated by comparing apical microleakage in 184 extracted human teeth. The teeth were divided into four experimental and two control groups. Three experimental groups were apical cavity retrofillings with the Gallium alloy GF, a mercury-containing amalgam, and a glass ionomer. The fourth experimental group was filled with gutta-percha and heat-burnished after apicoectomy. After 24 h, 1 wk, 4 wk, and 12 wk immersion in dye solution, the roots were vertically sectioned, and the deepest point of dye penetration was recorded. The glass ionomer showed the least leakage, followed by the amalgam group and the gallium group (no significant difference). The gutta-percha heat-burnished group displayed the greatest leakage. Gallium alloy GF was shown to have an equivalent sealing potential to dental amalgam for a retrograde filling material.