Barodontalgia: A Review, and the Influence of Simulated Diving on Microleakage and on the Retention of Full Cast Crowns

Abstract

This paper reviews the causes of barodontalgia and reports on a study that indicates a possible cause of barodontalgia in the diver. In the study, extracted teeth had full cast crowns cemented with either a zinc phosphate, a glass ionomer, or a resin cement, and simulated diving to 30 m (3.0 atmospheres) was performed. During simulated diving, the teeth were pressure cycled 15 times to 3 atmospheres and microleakage was monitored. The force required to dislodge the crown was then tested; a significant difference was found between the zinc phosphate and the glass ionomer cement groups (p < 0.01). No difference was found between the resin cement groups. Microleakage was also detected in the zinc phosphate and glass ionomer cement groups and was found to occur sooner, and to a greater extent with zinc phosphate. No microleakage was detected in the resin cement experimental group. This study showed that the retention of full cast crowns to extracted teeth is reduced after pressure cycling and that microleakage does occur if the crowns are cemented with either zinc phosphate cement or glass ionomer cement.