The Temperature Dependence of Micro-Leakage between Restorative and Pulp Capping Materials by Cu Diffusion

We used the Cu ions for the leakage analysis between pulp capping and restorative materials. Theoretically, Cu has more advantages than Ag ions due to their smaller radii (r(Cu)(2+)=73 pm and r(Ag)(2+)=94 pm), lower mass density (d(Cu)=8.96 g/cm(3) and d(Ag)=10.49 g/cm(3)) and higher radio opacity which can be more useful by X-ray or EDX detectors, cheaper price and more abundance in planet when compared with Ag element which is generally used in the leakage studies. The micro leakage between dental restorations and pulp capping materials has been determined by using Micro Computed Tomography, Scanning Electron Microscopy and EDX analysis. It is found that the leakage has temperature dependent mechanism which increases with the increasing temperature. As a result, using Cu solution for leakage studies in dentine is an effective and easy method which can be used in dental science.