Relationship Between Operator Experience And In Vitro Microleakage of Different Composite Materials in Class II Restorations

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of operator experience on microleakage in class II restorations performing by different restorative materials. Material and Method: 2 cavities of 4x4x3mm dimensions were carried out on the mesial and distal surfaces of 20 molar teeth by one operator. The teeth were randomly assigned to two groups according to the operator’s skill: student group and expert group. It was divided into subgroups as specialist bulk-fill composite: Group 1A, student bulk-fill composite: Group 2A, specialist micro-hybrid composite: Group 1B, student micro-hybrid composite: Group 2B, Prime bond nt, a total-etch adhesive system, is used in all restorations. Each operator restored the mesial cavities with the bulk technique using a bulk-fill composite (Tetric-N-Ceram-Bulk) and the distal cavities with the layering technique using a micro-hybrid composite (Filtek Z250, 3M ESPE). After 24 hour of water storage and thermocycling the marginal microleage was evaluted using dye penetration technique and data were analyzed. Results: When the restorative materials were evaluated without considering the applying operator, and when the scores of the operator who applied the restorations were evaluated without considering the restorative materials used, no statistically significant difference was found between them (p>0.05).When the occlusal and gingival leakage scores of Group 2A were evaluated, more gingival leakage was observed than occlusal (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the in-group occlusal and gingival leak scores of the other groups (p>0,05). Conclusion: There was no difference between the expert and the student in terms of microleakage values.