Detecting margin leakage of dental composite restorations.

The degree of microleakage between a restoration and the cavity wall is difficult to quantify objectively. A silver-staining method is used and compared to the radioisotope method with results that indicate a superior definition and more accurate evaluation of microleakage. In addition to the accuracy, two advantages are presented: (1) scoring of the leakage can be refined and divided into more precise numbers, and (2) teeth can be observed directly in a microscope without resorting to the indirect interpretation of film or photograph.