Microleakage of self- adhesive resin cements compared with resin cements containing etch & rinse adhesives

Abstract Background and Aim: Current self-adhesive resin cements have become popular for esthetic restorations. The purpose of this study was to compare the microleakage of 2 self-adhesive resin cements and 2 etch and rinse versions of the same brands. Materials and Methods: Forty human third molars were randomly assigned to 4 experimental groups: 1-Rely X Unicem, 2- Rely X ARC+ Acid etch 37% + Single Bond ,3- Nexus 3 Acid etch 37% + Optibond Solo, and 4- Maxcem Elite. Microleakage of the specimens were then measured with a four point scoring system at both the cervical &occlusal areas, with the aid of a stereomicroscope. Microlea-kage scores were compared using Kruskul-Wallis analysis, followed by relative Dunn test. Results: The microleakage of Rely X Unicem and Nexus 3 were significantly less in the occlusal region (P < 0.05), whereas in the cervical area there was no significant difference in microleakage between Rely X Unicem and Rely X ARC (P= 0.0087). The microleakage of Nexus 3 was significantly less than that of Rely X Unicem.Maxcem Elite showed the highest level of microleakage. (P < 0.05) Conclusion: Microleakage of both cements using etch & rinse adhesive systems were significantly lower in comparison withtheir self- etch counterparts both at the cervical &occlusal areas. (P < 0.05) Key Words: Microleakage - Self-Adhesive Resin Cement - Dentin Adhesion - Ena-mel adhesion