Comparative Evaluation of Marginal Fit and Microleakage of Pediatric Composite Crowns and Stainless-steel Crowns: An In Vitro Study

Aim and background: Stainless-steel crowns (SSCs) are commonly preferred for full-coronal restoration of primary molars because of their durability, longevity, and reliable clinical performance.Despite these advantages, their unesthetic metallic appearance has encouraged the development of tooth-colored restorative options, such as newly introduced composite crowns.Hence, this study was designed to assess and compare the marginal adaptation and microleakage of composite crowns and SSCs. Subjects and methods:The present in vitro study included 52 primary molars, randomly allocated to four groups of 13 teeth in each.The specimens were embedded in acrylic blocks, following which tooth preparation was carried out and the crowns were cemented.Marginal fit and microleakage were evaluated using a stereomicroscope at 40× and 30× magnification, respectively.Results: The unpaired t-test was used for statistical analysis.An insignificant difference was noted between the groups when marginal fit and microleakage were compared.The average marginal fit for the composite crowns was 43.74 ± 18.63 µm, and SSC was 61.21 ± 37.79 (p = 0.148).The average microleakage score for composite crowns was 1.15 ± 1.40, and SSC was 1.23 ± 1.42 (p = 0.891). Conclusion:The composite crowns demonstrated marginal fit and microleakage comparable to those of SSCs.Therefore, composite crowns may be considered a suitable esthetic alternative to SSCs for the restoration of primary molars.