ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of different filling materials and methods on marginal integrity in Black Class I fillings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Standardized occlusal cavities were prepared in 80 extracted human molars. The preparations were filled with composite resin (1), with composite resin using the incremental technique (2), an experimental glass-fiber-reinforced (3) and polyester-reinforced (4) composite resin, a direct composite inlay (5), a ceramic insert (6), a Cerafil inlay (7), and with an experimental direct filling using Dyract AP compomer (8). Allocation of the teeth to the test groups was randomized; further processing was done on a blind basis. After the preparation of replicas, the teeth were subjected to a thermomechanical cycling process of 2,000 temperature cycles (5 degrees C/55 degrees C) and 50,000 stress cycles (50 N). This was followed by production of a second set of replicas and quantitative margin analysis by SEM (200X). A dye penetration test was then performed on the mesiodistal section. RESULTS: Groups 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 displayed a good primary marginal quality, with the proportion of continuous margins reaching more than 85%. Significantly poorer results were recorded for the experimental glass-fiber-reinforced composite resins and Dyract compomer, where the proportion of perfect margins was only between 36% and 73%. In groups 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7, marginal integrity remained stable after the thermomechanical stress cycles, with the Cerafil inlays recording the best values: 89% perfect margins and 3% marginal gaps. In contrast, the experimental composite resins and the compomer underwent a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the proportion of marginal gaps and a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the proportion of continuous margin. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that neither Dyract compomer nor the glass-fiber-reinforced composite resins tested can be recommended for use in the occlusally stressed posterior region, whereas the other filling materials and methods were sufficiently stress resistant.
