USE OF A PRESSURE CHAMBER TO COMPARE MICROLEAKAGE OF 3 LUTING AGENTS

A pressure chamber was used to compare microleakage associated with co mplete metal crowns cemented to extracted teeth using three different luting agents. Complete crowns were cemented on 60 extracted premolar teeth: 20 were cemented using a zinc phosphate cement, 20 using a glas s-ionomer cement, and 20 using a resin cement. Following 7 days of sto rage in normal saline, each oi the teeth in the experimental groups wa s pressure cycled 15 times, during which time the occurrence of microl eakage was monitored. Microleakage was found to occur in crowns cement ed with the zinc phosphate and glass-ionomer cements; no microleakage was detected with the resin-cemented crowns. Microleakage was also fou nd to occur sooner and to a greater extent with zinc phosphate than wi th glass-ionomer cement.