Evaluation of Microleakage and Micromorphological Analysis of Different Self-Adhesive Restorative Systems in Class V Cavities: Laboratory Study.

Background: Microleakage is a common problem that affects the longevity of restorative materials in Class V cavities. It is influenced by factors such as the type of restorative materials, composition of the cavity margins and aging. This study aimed to evaluate and compare microleakage and micromorphological analysis of restoration-dentin interface for Class V cavities restored with resin modified glass ionomer cement, self-adhesive flowable composite and self-adhesive composite hybrid before and after thermocycling for 10000 cycles.

Material and methods: One hundred two sound premolars received standardized Class V cavities on their buccal surfaces with the gingival margin placed 1mm above the cementum-enamel junction. The prepared premolars were randomly divided into three groups according to the self-adhesive restorative systems used (n=34). Each group was further subdivided into two subgroups according to aging (n=17); the first one was immediately evaluated after 24 hours of restoration placement, while the second was evaluated after thermocycling. Restored premolars were evaluated using dye penetration microleakage test under a stereomicroscope and micromorphological analysis of restorations/dentin interface. Microleakage scores were statistically analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.

Results: There was a statistically significant difference regarding microleakage between the used self-adhesive restorative systems (p<0.05). Self-adhesive composite hybrid had the highest microleakage scores followed by self-adhesive flowable composite while resin modified glass ionomer cement had the lowest microleakage scores. Also, there was a significant increase in the microleakage scores for the used restorative systems after thermocycling (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Resin modified glass ionomer cement remains the material of choice for Class V cavities in the term of microleakage compared to self-adhesive flowable composite and self-adhesive composite hybrid. The sealing stability of the used self-adhesive restorative systems still questionable over time. Key words:Class V cavities, microleakage, resin modified glass ionomer cement, self-adhesive composite, thermocycling.