Evaluation of Microleakage Following Demineralization among Different Fluoride Releasing Luting Cements for Bands Used in Space Maintainers: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the microleakage of three different types of luting cements for bands used in space maintainers. Methods: In total, 40 extracted primary human molars were used for the study and divided into four different groups: Group A: Control group, Group B: Conventional glass ionomer cement (GIC), C: Light-cured resin cement, and Group D: Light-cured resin-reinforced GIC. The teeth were then demineralized in an acidic solution for 4 weeks and then submerged in a 10% solution of methylene blue for 24 h at 37°C. Following that, the teeth were buccolingually sectioned, and the depth of dye penetration was examined with an 80X stereomicroscope. Results: Post-hoc pairwise compressions showed a nonsignificant difference between light-cured resin cement and the control group ( P = 0.135). Conventional GIC and resin-reinforced GIC groups showed significant differences in the control group ( P < 0.001). The difference between conventional and resin-reinforced GIC was not significant ( P = 0.930). Conclusion: Resin-reinforced GIC exhibited the lowest potential for enamel demineralization, followed by conventional GIC.