Comparison of micro-CT and conventional dye penetration for microleakage assessment after different aging conditions

Aim The aim of this study was to compare microleakage assessment by micro-tomography (micro-CT) and conventional microscopy in class V restorations after different aging treatments. Methods Class V cavities were prepared in sound human molars and restored with composite (Filtek Supreme XTE) after application of a self-etch adhesive (Clearfil SE Bond). Sealing ability was evaluated by assessing silver nitrate penetration along enamel and dentin margins either by micro-CT or by conventional stereomicroscopy. Class V cavities were divided in three groups (each n = 5): control: no aging, thermocycling: 10,000 cycles, 5–55 °C; thermo-erosive cycling: thermocycling with concomitant storage in HCl (pH 2.1, 5 min, 6×/day, 8 days). Penetration of silver nitrate was quantified by micro-CT and stereomicroscopy (25-fold magnification). Data for silver penetration assessed by stereomicroscopy and micro-CT were checked for normality and analyzed by Pearson or Spearman correlations. Differences between the aging effects were analyzed by one-way ANOVA (enamel) or Kruskal-Wallis tests (dentin) (p< 0.05). Results For enamel, the correlations between stereomicroscopy and micro-CT data were not significant. For dentin, silver penetration depths obtained by stereomicroscopy and by micro-CT were moderately correlated (r=0.54, p=0.039), while volume of silver penetration (micro-CT) was not significantly correlated with penetration depth of silver (stereomicroscopy). Thermo-erosive cycling mostly increased microleakage compared with the control group and restorations submitted to thermocycling. Conclusions Thermo-erosive aging increased the microleakage at enamel and dentin. The micro-CT analysis resulted in lower values of microleakage compared with the conventional stereomicroscope. Clinical significance Microleakage is often used to evaluate the interfacial integrity of adhesives with dental hard tissues. The micro-CT analysis underestimated the dye penetration compared with the assessments made by the conventional stereomicroscopy, leading to lower microleakage values.