Effects of thermocycling and occlusal force on the margins of provisional acrylic resin crowns.

Transitional acrylic crowns were examined for changes in axial contour and increases in marginal gap width after simultaneous thermocycling and occlusal loading. Two groups of 10 crowns--one with a shoulder finish line and another with a chamfer finish line--were treated with 3400 thermocycles and 50,000 load cycles simultaneously within an artificial oral environment chamber in an MTS Dental Materials Testing System. The marginal gaps were increased for both groups after treatment. However, the group of crowns with the shoulder finish lines demonstrated a smaller gap width (x = 90 microns) after treatment than the crowns with chamfer finish lines (x = 210 microns). A statistical comparison identified a significant difference in gap width between groups (p < 0.01). Changes in the axial profile of the groups were similar, but one crown with a chamfer finish line exhibited a cracked margin.