A clinical evaluation of the effect of polishing procedures on the marginal breakdown of two dental amalgams

Abstract

The investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of the polishing and finishing of dental amalgam in relation to its marginal breakdown. The study was also conducted to make a clinical comparison of the marginal integrity of Dispersalloy restorations as compared to Twentieth Century Fine Cut Alloy restorations in both the polished and unpolished state. Forty patients with a total of 131 Class I amalgam restorations were used as the study group. The two alloy systems and polish or unpolish techniques were selected from a random table. Photographic evaluation of the restorations was used to judge the degree of marginal breakdown. The results of the study at the one-year evaluation show two main findings: (1) the Dispersalloy restorations showed less marginal breakdown than the Twentieth Century Fine Cut Alloy restorations, and (2) there was no significant difference between the polished and unpolished restorations overall.