Real Time Reference Controlled Reverse Diffusion Quantitation

of Microleakage: Justification

Hamdi Mohammed-Al Tahawi, DDS, MScD, PhD,  Abdullah R. Al-Shammery
King Saud University College of Dentistry, P.O. Box 60169, Riyadh 1 1454, Saudi Arabia

Among the priorities for dental research is preventing microleakage, Despite many efforts to achieve this goal, the phenomenon continues to intrigue researchers. Perhaps, the lack of a definitive method to objectively quantitate microleakage is among the primary handicaps pre­venting its control. This paper asserts that as of today all restorations badly suffer from micro-leakage irrespective of the material and restorative technique used. The paper further substan­tiates that, despite their excellence, all prior efforts in quantitating microleakage and claims to such an achievement are not sound. This paper reviews and analyzes prior studies on micro-leakage, including those of the author, and points out their nominal nature in quantitating microleakage. Further, based on the literature review and experimental evidence a well stan­dardized non-destructive in vitro testing method for real time quantitation of microleakage is presented.

Saudi Dental Journal 1995;7(3):167-176