An evaluation of casting alloys used for restorative procedures.

Dental casting alloys have played a major role in the restorative process for three-quarters of a century. Gold-based compositions were used almost exclusively for most of that time-but because of their relatively high cost, they began to be replaced by a number of base metal alloys. This article discusses some of the most recent findings about the composition of alloy systems and the possible tissue responses to those systems.