Comparative In Vitro Assessment of Marginal Microleakage and Caries-Like Lesions Around Common Restorative Materials

Background: Secondary caries formation is still one of the main reasons of restorations fail, mostly caused by the material's resistance to microleakage and marginal sealing ability. The objective of this research was to assess compare the degree of secondary caries development next to restorations made of Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC), Composite Resin, and Amalgam. Methods: The in-vitro study was conducted (March 2024 to August 2024) at Dentistry department at with randomly selected groups (n = 30 each) created from 90 extracted human premolars: Group A (Composite Resin), Group B (Amalgam), and Group C (GIC). In accordance with the guidelines provided by the manufacturers, standardized Class I and II cavities were prepared and restored. The samples were subjected to artificial demineralization (pH cycling) and thermocycling in order to replicate oral conditions that are favorable for the development of marginal caries. In SPSS version 26.0, one-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to analyze the data(p < 0.05 as significant). Results: The findings showed that Amalgam restorations had the most severe lesions and the highest leakage (0.87 ± 0.21 mm), while Composite Resin restorations had the lowest microleakage (0.58 ± 0.16 mm) and the lowest caries incidence. GIC exhibited results that were in between (0.72 ± 0.19). The groups differed significantly (p = 0.01 for caries severity and p = 0.002 for leakage). Conclusion: In comparison to Amalgam and GIC, Composite Resin demonstrated better marginal adaptation and resistance to secondary caries. These results highlight the significance of choosing restorative materials to reduce restoration failures.