Retention of cast crowns cemented to amalgam and composite resin cores.

An in vitro study was conducted to determine the tensile bond strength of complete cast gold restorations cemented with zinc phosphate cement on composite resin and amalgam crown cores. The samples were thermocycled and tested at 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month intervals. Results of the study showed that: (1) the amalgam core provides more retention for the cast gold crown than does the composite resin core and (2) the composite resin core provides increasing retention over a longer time period.