effect of different cavity conditioners on microleakage of glass ionomer cement with a high viscosity in primary teeth

background: glass ionomer cement is a common material used in pediatric dentistry. the aim of this study was to evaluate the microleakage of high-viscosity glass ionomer restorations in deciduous teeth after conditioning with four different conditioners. materials and methods: fifty intact primary canines were collected. standard class v cavities (2 mm × 1.5 mm × 3 mm) were prepared by one operator on all buccal tooth surfaces, including both enamel and dentin. the samples were divided into fi ve groups with different conditioners (no conditioner, 20% acrylic acid, 35% phosphoric acid, 12% citric acid, and 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid [edta]). two-way — anova, kruskal–wallis and mann–whitney tests were used to compare the means of microleakage between the fi ve groups. the signifi cance level was set at p < 0.05. results: there was no signifi cant difference between the means of microleakage in incisal (enamel) and gingival (dentin) margins ( p = 0.34). furthermore, there was no signifi cant difference between the means of microleakage in enamel and dentin margins ( p = 0.4). there was a signifi cant difference between the means of microleakage in different groups ( p = 0.03). conclusion: within the limitations of this study, it is suggested that 20% acrylic acid and 17% edta be used for cavity conditioning which can result in better chemical and micromechanical adhesion. key words: cervical restoration, dental leakage, glass ionomer cement, primary tooth