Dental post-operative sensitivity associated with a gallium-based restorative material

Introduction This study forms part of a 2-year longitudinal clinical trial to compare the performance of a gallium-based restorative material (Galloy) with a high copper, mercury based (Dispersalloy) control material. Method Following Ethical Committee approval, 25 galley restorations and 25 Dispersalloy controls were placed in 14 adult patients, by a single operator. The cavities were of moderate size, indicating the use of amalgam as the restorative material. All restorations were polished within 1 week of placement, photographed and a silicone impression of the tooth and restoration recorded. In addition, a visual analogue scale (VAS), indicating the extent of any post-operative sensitivity, was completed by each patient for each restoration, immediately prior to polishing. A score of 0 indicated no sensitivity, while a score of 10 indicated the greatest possible sensitivity. At B-month recall, the VAS scores, silicone impressions and photographs were repeated. Results The mean sensitivity scores for the galley and Dispersalloy restorations at 1 week were 5.1 (+/-3.4) and 1.0 (+/-1.5), respectively and at 6 months, 1.8 (+/-3.0) and 0.2 (+/-0.1) respectively. The differences between these means at 1 week and at 6 months were significant (P < 0.01). Conclusion Galley restorations were associated with a much greater severity of post-operative sensitivity than Dispersalloy restorations.