Comparative evaluation of microleakage using three variables of glass-ionomer cement in primary and permanent teeth: An in vitro study

Abstract

Background and Objective: Since their invention in 1970, glass-ionomer cements (GICs) have been widely used in pediatric dentistry. They have undergone many modifications in composition till the recent nano cement which claims to have superior properties compared to their primal versions. One of the important requisites of restorative material is adhesion to the tooth structure, failure of which leads to microleakage. Hence, the main objective of this study was to compare the microleakage of three variables (Ketac Molar, Ketac Silver, Ketac N100) of GIC in primary and permanent posterior teeth. Materials and Methods: Class I occlusal cavities were prepared on 60 extracted, noncarious primary molars and premolars. Each set of dentition (primary and permanent teeth) was divided into three groups of 10 specimens each to restore with the selected restorative material - Group A (Ketac Molar), Group B (Ketac Silver), and Group C (Ketac N100). These teeth were subjected to thermocycling, dye immersion, sectioning, and examination was done under a stereomicroscope to assess the degree of microleakage. The scoring was done according to the scoring criteria put forward by Khera and Chan, which were further tabulated and statistically analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in microleakage between primary and permanent teeth in all the three groups. In both primary and permanent teeth, Group B showed significantly higher dye penetration scores followed by Groups A and C. Conclusion: The nano-filled resin-modified GIC (Ketac N100) proved to be the better restorative material than the other cements used in the study. Clinical Relevance To Interdisciplinary Dentistry Microleakage is the most common cause of failure for all restorative materials, since it is a major contributing factor to secondary caries and early pulpal involvement. Consequently, an interest arises in finding a restorative material which has better bonding with the dental tissues thereby minimizing the chances of microleakage. Nano-filled RMGIC is found to be a good restorative material in maintaining the longevity of the restoration both in primary and permanent dentition.