Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate and to compare the interface and marginal leakage of dental composite resins using confocal laser scanning biological microscopy (CM). Ten class II cavities were prepared on the proximal surfaces of 10 extracted teeth, previously kept in 10% formalin to preserve the bonding properties of the tooth structures. Cavities were restored with dental composite resin using the ‘open sandwich’ technique and then assessed using CM. Open marginal adaptations at the interfaces inside the composite resins were identified. The results obtained with CM helped to eliminate and reduce the background information collected from a distance from the focal plane and allowed for the acquisition of serial optical sections from thick tooth specimens. In vitro assessments were thus made using CM on the teeth structure, regarding the occurrence of potential micro-leakages at the restoration interface.
Keywords: dental interface; adhesion; dental composite; polymers; confocal microscopy