Porosity in resin composite core restorations: the effect of manipulative techniques

Forty acrylic resin duplicates of an endodontically treated and extracted human molar were restored with two resin composite materials for core restorations. Two different manipulation techniques, bulk insertion and syringe application, were used. In a simulated clinical setup, the core buildups produced by the different manipulation techniques were investigated for voids. In 20 duplicates, a post was placed to simulate a metal post and resin composite core buildup. The syringe technique produced significantly fewer incorporated voids for both resin composite core materials than did the bulk insertion technique. It was not possible to demonstrate a relationship between the presence of voids and the presence of a metal post.