Comparative study of the sealing efficacy of various bonding systems to Class V dental amalgam restorations

The effectiveness of five bonding systems in reducing microleakage in amalgam restorations was evaluated. Class V cavities were prepared on 72 extracted premolars. Each investigated material was applied onto the walls of 12 cavities prior to amalgam condensation. Copalite varnished and amalgam restored cavities were used as controls. The restored teeth were dyed, sectioned and examined microscopically and the microleakage scored using standard scoring criteria. Kruskal–Wallis test indicated that microleakage was significantly less in restorations treated with bonding systems than with Copalite varnish, p<0.05. Microleakage was significantly more at the gingival margins in all of the restorations than at the occlusal margins (Wilcoxon Ranks test).