The purpose of this study was to compare the microleakage of low and high viscosity flowable resins in class V cavities applied with 1-step adhesives.

Forty class V cavities were prepared on the cervices of buccal and lingual surfaces of extracted molar teeth and divided into four groups (n=8). Cavities were restored with AQ Bond Plus/Metafil Flo α, G-Bond/UniFil LoFlo Plus (Low flow groups), AQ Bond Plus/Metafil Flo and G-Bond/UniFil Flow (High flow group), respectively.

Specimens were immersed in a 2% methylene blue solution for 24 hours, and bisected longitudinally. They were observed microleakages at the enamel and dentinal margins.

In conclusion, the low viscosity flowable resins showed lower marginal microleakage than do the high viscosity flowable resins in class V cavities.

The aim of this study was to measure the dentinal tubular fluid flow (DFF) during and after amalgam and composite restorations. A newly designed fluid flow measurement instrument was made. A third molar cut at 3 mm apical from the CEJ was connected to the flow measuring device under a hydrostatic pressure of 15 cmH₂O. Class I cavity was prepared and restored with either amalgam (Copalite varnish and Bestaloy) or composite (Z-250 with ScotchBond MultiPurpose: MP, Single Bond 2: SB, Clearfil SE Bond: CE and Easy Bond: EB as bonding systems). The DFF was measured from the intact tooth state through restoration procedures to 30 minutes after restoration, and re-measured at 3 and 7days after restoration.

Inward fluid flow (IF) during cavity preparation was followed by outward flow (OF) after preparation. In amalgam restoration, the OF changed to IF during amalgam filling and slight OF followed after finishing.

In composite restoration, application CE and EB showed a continuous OF and air-dry increased rapidly the OF until light-curing, whereas in MP and SB, rinse and dry caused IF and OF, respectively. Application of hydrophobic bonding resin in MP and CE caused a decrease in flow rate or even slight IF. Light-curing of adhesive and composite showed an abrupt IF. There was no statistically significant difference in the reduction of DFF among the materials at 30 min, 3 and 7 days after restoration (P > 0.05).

This study compared the effect of an activator, intermediate bonding resin and low-viscosity flowable resin on the microtensile bond strength of a self-curing composite resin used with two-step total etching adhesives. Twenty extracted permanent molars were used. The teeth were assigned randomly to nine groups (n=10) according to the adhesive system and application of additional methods (activator, intermediate adhesive, flowable resin). The bonding agents and additional applications of each group were applied to the dentin surfaces. Self-curing composite resin buildups were made for each tooth to form a core, 5mm in height. The restored teeth were then stored in distilled water at room temperature for 24h before sectioning. The microtensile bond strength of all specimens was examined. The data was analyzed statistically by one-way ANOVA and a Scheffe's test. The application of an intermediate bonding resin (Optibond FL adhesive) and low-viscosity flowable resin (Tetric N-flow) produced higher bond strength than that with the activator in all groups. Regardless of the method selected, Optibond solo plus produced the lowest µTBS to dentin. The failure modes of the tested dentin bonding agents were mostly adhesive failure but there were some cases showed cohesive failure in the resin.

The aim of this study was to develop a method for measuring the slumping resistance of flowable resin composites and to evaluate the efficacy using rheological methodology.

Five commercial flowable composites (Aelitefil flow:AF, Filtek flow:FF, DenFil flow:DF, Tetric flow:TF and Revolution:RV) were used. Same volume of composites in a syringe was extruded on a glass slide using a custom-made loading device. The resin composites were allowed to slump for 10 seconds at 25℃ and light cured. The aspect ratio (height/diameter) of cone or dome shaped specimen was measured for estimating the slumping tendency of composites. The complex viscosity of each composite was measured by a dynamic oscillatory shear test as a function of angular frequency using a rheometer. To compare the slumping tendency of composites, one way-ANOVA and Turkey's post hoc test was performed for the aspect ratio at 95% confidence level. Regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between the complex viscosity and the aspect ratio. The results were as follows.

1. Slumping tendency based on the aspect ratio varied among the five materials (AF < FF < DF < TF < RV).

2. Flowable composites exhibited pseudoplasticity in which the complex viscosity decreased with increasing frequency (shear rate). AF was the most significant, RV the least.

3. The slumping tendency was strongly related with the complex viscosity. Slumping resistance increased with increasing the complex viscosity.

The slumping tendency could be quantified by measuring the aspect ratio of slumped flowable composites. This method may be applicable to evaluate the clinical handling characteristics of flowable composites.

This study was aimed to investigate whether an oxygen inhibition layer (OIL) is essential for the interfacial bonding between resin composite layers or not.

A composite (Z-250, 3M ESPE) was filled in two layers using two aluminum plate molds with a hole of 3.7 mm diameter. The surface of first layer of cured composite was prepared by one of five methods as followings, thereafter second layer of composite was filled and cured: Group 1 - OIL is allowed to remain on the surface of cured composite; Group 2 - OIL was removed by rubbing with acetone-soaked cotton; Group 3 - formation of the OIL was inhibited using a Mylar strip; Group 4 - OIL was covered with glycerin and light-cured; Group 5 (control) - composite was bulk-filled in a layer. The interfacial shear bond strength between two layers was tested and the fracture modes were observed. To investigate the propagation of polymerization reaction from active area having a photo-initiator to inactive area without the initiator, a flowable composite (Aelite Flow) or an adhesive resin (Adhesive of ScotchBond Multipurpose) was placed over an experimental composite (Exp_Com) which does not include a photoinitiator and light-cured. After sectioning the specimen, the cured thickness of the Exp_Com was measured.

The bond strength of group 2, 3 and 4 did not show statistically significant difference with group 1. Groups 3 and 4 were not statistically significant different with control group 5. The cured thicknesses of Exp_Com under the flowable resin and adhesive resin were 20.95 (0.90) um and 42.13 (2.09), respectively.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of composite resin restorations on the stress distribution of notch shaped noncarious cervical lesion using three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis (FEA).

Extracted maxillary second premolar was scanned serially with Micro-CT (SkyScan1072; SkyScan, Aartselaar, Belgium). The 3D images were processed by 3D-DOCTOR (Able Software Co., Lexington, MA, USA). ANSYS (Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc., Houston, USA) was used to mesh and analyze 3D FE model. Notch shaped cavity was filled with hybrid or flowable resin and each restoration was simulated with adhesive layer thickness (40 µM). A static load of 500 N was applied on a point load condition at buccal cusp (loading A) and palatal cusp (loading B). The principal stresses in the lesion apex (internal line angle of cavity) and middle vertical wall were analyzed using ANSYS.

The results were as follows

1. Under loading A, compressive stress is created in the unrestored and restored cavity. Under loading B, tensile stress is created. And the peak stress concentration is seen at near mesial corner of the cavity under each load condition.

2. Compared to the unrestored cavity, the principal stresses at the cemeto-enamel junction (CEJ) and internal line angle of the cavity were more reduced in the restored cavity on both load conditions.

3. In teeth restored with hybrid composite, the principal stresses at the CEJ and internal line angle of the cavity were more reduced than flowable resin.

The aims of the study were to evaluate the effect of epinephrine-containing local anesthetics on pulpal blood flow (PBF) and to investigate its effect on cavity preparation-induced PBF change. PBF was recorded using a laser Doppler flowmeter (Perimed Co., Sweden) from canines of nine cats under general anesthesia before and after injection of local anesthetics and after cavity preparation. 2% lidocaine hydrochloride with 1 : 100,000 epinephrine was administered by local infiltration given apical to the mandibular canine at the vestibular area and the same volume of isotonic saline was injected on the contralateral tooth as a control. A round carbide bur was operated at slow speed with isotonic saline flushing to grind spherical cavities with increasing depth through the enamel and into the dentin on both teeth. The obtained data was analyzed with paired t-test.

Cavity preparation caused significant increase of PBF (n = 9, p < 0.05). Local infiltration of lidocaine with epinephrine resulted in decreases of PBF (n = 9, p < 0.05), whereas there was no significant change of PBF with the physiologic saline as a control. Cavity preparation on tooth anesthetized with lidocaine with epinephrine caused significantly less increase of PBF than in control tooth (p < 0.05).

Therefore, the result of the present study demonstrates that local infiltration of 2% lidocaine with 1 : 100,000 epinephrine effectively reduces PBF increase caused by cavity preparation.

This study investigated the effect of thickness of flowable resin lining on marginal leakage in class II composite restorations. 80 experimental teeth were prepared with class II preparations with enamel margin or dentin margin. Each group was devided into four groups according to flowable resin lining thickness ; Control group - no flowable resin lining, Group 1 - 0.5 mm flowable resin lining, Group 2 - 1 mm flowable resin lining, Group 3 - 2 mm flowable resin lining. The cavities were restored using Scotchbond Multi-Purpose adhesive system, Filtek Flow and Filtek Z 250 composite resin.

Following one day storage in distilled water, the restored teeth were thermocycled for 500 cycles and immersed in 2% methylene blue for 24 hours.

The results of this study were as follows:

1. Ranking of mean microleakage scores at the enamel margins was Group 1 < Control = Group 2 < Group 3. The microleakage of Group 3 was significantly higher than that of Control, Group 1 and Group 2 (p < 0.05).

2. Ranking of mean microleakage scores at the dentin margins was Group 1 < Group 2 < Control < Group 3. The microleakage of Group 3 was significantly higher than that of Control, Group 1 (p < 0.05).

3. Compared with microleakage between the enamel and dentin margins, enamel margin group were significantly lower than dentin margin group.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the function of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in regulatory mechanism of pulpal microcirculation with the aim of elucidating neurogenic inflammation.

Experiments were performed on twelve cats under general anesthesia. CGRP was administered through the femoral vein to see the systemic influence and through the external carotid artery to see the local effect. Sympathetic nerve to the dental pulp was stimulated electrically and pulpal blood flow (PBF) was measured with a laser Doppler flowmeter on the canine teeth to the drug administration. The paired variables of control and experimental data were compared by paired t-test and differences with p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Systemic administration of CGRP (0.3 μg/kg) exerted decreases in systemic blood pressure and caused changes in PBF with an initial increase followed by decrease and a more marked second increase and decrease.

Close intra-arterial (i.a.) injection of CGRP (0.03 μ/kg) resulted in slight PBF increase. The effect of CGRP resulted in no significant increase in PBF in the presence of CGRP_8-37.

The electrical stimulation of the sympathetic nerve alone resulted in PBF decreases. The i.a. administration of CGRP following the electrical stimulation of the sympathetic nerve compensated the decreased PBF. Therefore, CGRP effectively blocked the sympathetic nerve stimulation-induced PBF decrease.

Results of the present study have provided evidences that even though the local vasodilatory function of CGRP are weak, CGRP is effectively involved in blocking the vasoconstriction caused by sympathetic nerve stimulation in the feline dental pulp.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the apical sealing ability of Super-EBA, MTA and Dyract-flow as retrofilling materials. Forty-eight extracted human teeth with straight and single root canal were used in this study. The root canals were prepared to a #40 apical canal size and obturated with gutter-percha. Apicoectomies were performed and root end cavities were prepared to a depth of 3mm using an ultrasonic device. The root end cavities were filled with Super-EBA, MTA or Dyract-flow. Leakage was measured using an electrochemical technique for 4 weeks.

According to this study, the results were as follows.

1. Increasing leakage with time was observed in all groups.

2. No significant difference was noted among the 3 groups with time (p = 0.216).

3. No significant difference was noted among the 3 groups when measured within the same time interval (p = 0.814).

The results of this study suggest that the sealing ability of Dyract-flow is equal to that of Super-EBA and MTA, and Dyract-flow may be an alternative to other materials for root-end filling.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of NK1 receptor antagonists on the pulpal blood flow (PBF) when applied iontophoretically through the dentinal cavity of the teeth in order to understand whether iontophoretically applied NK1 receptor antagonists can control the pulpal inflammation.

Eleven cats were anesthetized with alpha-chloralose and urethane, and substance P (SP) was administered to the dental pulp through the catheterized lingual artery in doses that caused PBF change without the influence of systemic blood pressure. NK1 receptor antagonists were applied iontophoretically to the prepared dentinal cavity of ipsilateral canine teeth of the drug administration, and PBF was monitored. Data were analyzed statistically with paired t-test.

PBF increase after iontophoretic application of the NK1 receptor antagonists followed by the intra-arterial administration of SP was significantly less than PBF increase after iontophoretic application of the 0.9% saline followed by the intra-arterial administration of SP as a control (p < 0.05).

Iontophoretic application of the NK1 receptor antagonists (0.2~3.4 mM) following the intra-arterial administration of SP resulted in less increase of PBF than the iontophoretic application of the 0.9% saline following the intra-arterial administration of SP as a control (p < 0.05).

Therefore, the results of the present study provide evidences that the iontophoretic application is an effective method to deliver drugs to the dental pulp, and that iontophoretically applied NK1 receptor antagonists block SP-induced vasodilation effectively. The above results show the possibility that the iontophoretical application of NK1 receptor antagonists can control the neurogenic inflammation in the dental pulp.

The use of flowable composite resins as liners in class II packable composite restoration has been suggested by some manufacturers. However, the contributions of this technique are unproven. The purpose of this study was to compare the gingival microleakage in class II packable composite restorations with or without the use of flowable composite resins as liners.

Slot cavities were prepared on both proximals of 80 extracted human molars and randomly assigned to 8 groups of 20 each. The gingival margins were located at 1mm above CEJ in 80 cavities (group1-4) and 1mm below CEJ in 80 cavities (group5-8). The prepared teeth were mounted in the customized tray with adjacent teeth to simulate clinical conditions and metallic matrix band (Sectional matrix) and wooden wedges were applied. After acid etching and application of Single Bond, each group was restored with the following materials using incremental placement technique: Group 1,5 (Filtek P60), group 2, 3, 4 and group 6, 7, 8 (AeliteFlo, TetricFlow, Revolution/Filtek P60). All specimens were thermocycled 500 times between 5℃ and 55℃ with 1 mimute dwell time, immersed 2% methylene blue dye for 24 hours and then rinsed with tab water. The specimens were embedded in clear resin and sectioned longitudinally through the center of restoration with a low speed diamond saw. Dye penetration at gingival margin was viewed at 20 magnification and analyzed on a scale of 0 to 4. Kruscal-Wallis One way analysis and Mann-Whitney Rank sum test were used to analyze the results.

The results of this study were as follows.

1. The leakage values seen at the enamel margin were significantly lower than those seen at the dentin margin(P<0.05).

2. On the enamel margin, packable composite resins with flowable liners showed lower leakage than those without flowable liners, but there were no significant differences among the four groups(P>0.05).

3. On the dentin margin, four groups demonstrated moderate to severe leakage, and there were no significant differences in leakage values(P>0.05).

Low-viscosity composite resins may produce better sealed margins than stiffer compositions (Kemp-Scholte and Davidson, 1988; Crim, 1989). Flowable composites have been recommended for use in Class V cavities but it is also controversial because of its high rates of shrinkage. On the other hand, in the study comparing elastic moduli and leakage, the microfill had the least leakage (Rundle et al. 1997). Furthermore, in the 1996 survey of the Reality Editorial Team, microfills were the clear choice for abfraction lesions.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the microleakage of 6 compostite resins (2 hybrids, 2 microfills, and 2 flowable composites) with and without load cycling.

Notch-shaped Class V cavities were prepared on buccal surface of 180 extracted human upper premolars on cementum margin. The teeth were randomly divided into non-load cycling group (group 1) and load cycling group (group 2) of 90 teeth each. The experimental teeth of each group were randomly divided into 6 subgroups of 15 samples. All preparations were etched, and Single bond was applied. Preparations were restored with the following materials (n=15): hybrid composite resin [Z250(3M Dental Products Inc. St.Paul, USA), Denfil(Vericom, Ahnyang, Korea)], microfill [Heliomolar RO(Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein), Micronew(Bisco Inc. Schaumburg, IL, USA)], and flowable composite [AeliteFlo(Bisco Inc. Schaumburg, IL, USA), Revolution(Kerr Corp. Orange, CA, USA)]. Teeth of group 2 were subjected to occlusal load (100N for 50,000 cycles) using chewing simulator(MTS 858 Mini Bionix II system, MTS Systems Corp., Minn. USA). All samples were coated with nail polish 1mm short of the restoration, placed in 2% methylene blue for 24 hours, and sectioned with a diamond wheel. Enamel and dentin/cementum margins were analyzed for microleakage on a sclale of 0 (no leakage) to 3 (3/3 of wall). Results were statistically analyzed by Kruscal-Wallis One way analysis, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Student-Newmann-Keuls method. (p=0.05)