Microleakage in facial and lingual Class 5 composite restorations: a comparison.

The purpose of this in vitro study was to determine if there is a difference in microleakage between facial and lingual enamel and cementum using two different evaluation techniques. Class 5 preparations were made in 50 teeth on the facial and lingual tooth surfaces and restored using dentin bonding and composite resin. The teeth were thermocycled, silver nitrate stained, and longitudinally sectioned into mesial and distal halves through each restoration. The mesial half was scored using a rank order system. A Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA was performed. The distal half was scored by measurement, and a two-sample t-test was performed. There were no statistically significant differences (P > or = 0.05) in microleakage between facial and lingual tooth enamel or cementum surfaces using either measurement technique.