Effect of cyclical lateral forces on microleakage in cervical resin composite restorations

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect on microleakage of cyclic lateral fatigue forces in different types of cervical resin composite restorations. Method and materials: V-notch cavities were prepared at the cementoenamel junction in 60 extracted human premolars and restored with a bonding system along with one of the following resin composites: hybrid resin composite, microfilled resin composite, and flowable resin composite (20 each). Ten specimens from each group of 20 were subjected to 8,400 cycles of lateral fatigue forces (44 N) at the occlusal half of the clinical crown in a machine specifically developed for this purpose. The other 10 specimens of each group served as controls, representing the microleakage that occurred without lateral fatigue forces. All specimens were stained with a 50% silver nitrate solution and sectioned sagittally. A scoring system of 0 to 6 was used to record the amount of die penetration along the restoration-tooth interface. Results: There was leakage in both the fatigued specimens and the nonfatigued control specimens. There were significant differences in the mean values of microleakage for the restorative materials studied. In the nonfatigued groups, hybrid resin specimens exhibited significantly more microleakage at the dentin-resin interface than did microfilled or flowable resin specimens. In the fatigued groups, hybrid resin specimens exhibited significantly more leakage at the dentin-resin interface than did microfilled resin specimens. Conclusion: The least elastic resin composite tested, the hybrid material, generally showed the most leakage. This suggests that the elasticity of these resin composite restorative materials may be a factor in the amount of microleakage in cervical restorations.