Non-destructive assessment of cavity wall adaptation of class V composite restoration using swept-source optical coherence tomography

The purpose of this study was to evaluate gap formations under class V restoration using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). Wedge-shaped cavities were prepared on the buccal surface of 40 extracted premolar teeth at 2 locations; 1) cementoenamel junction (CEJ) with enamel and cementum margin and 2) root surfaces with cementum margin. The cavity was treated with Clearfil S3 Bond, restored with Clearfil Majesty and polished with abrasive disks. The specimens were kept in water at 37°C for 24 hours and subjected to a thermocycling procedure. Gap formations at the tooth-restoration interface were measured with SS-OCT image and conventional dye leakage under a microscope. There was no effect of the locations of the cavity and the margins of the cavity on the gap formation. Therefore, a significant effect of the observational methods was observed. The gap formation was 0.89±0.48 mm with the SS-OCT, and the gap formation was 0.34±0.41 mm with the dye leakage. The observation with SS-OCT demonstrated a greater degree of gap formation than the observation with dye leakage.