gTnar̂sea ch Spreadability of Two Glass lonomer Cements used in Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART)

‘Press finger' in atraumatic restorative treat­ ment (ART) is used to spread a glass ionomer cement (GIC) to seal the restoration margin and adjacent pits and fissures. This study compared the spreadability of Fuji IX® and Ketac®-Molar to establish which was best suited for this purpose. Twenty equally spaced cavities (35 mm apart) were machinecut in each of two Perspex slabs 200 x 100 x 20 mm. Each cavity was 3 mm deep with a 4 mm diameter. Two V-shaped grooves 1 mm deep were cut to traverse the cavities: one 0,5 mm wide, the other 0,25 mm wide. Equal amounts (0,25 ml) of GIC were dispensed, 20 cavities for Fuji IX® and 20 for Ketac®-Molar and condensed under light finger pressure using a 20 mm diameter cork thinly coated with petroleum jelly. This allowed the GIC to be condensed into the cavity and spread into the differently sized grooves. The samples were stored in deionised water for 24 hours whereafter the length to which the GIC had spread along each groove from the cavity edge was measured to the closest 0,01 mm. The data were analysed using ANOVA and the unpaired Student's t-test (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the length of spread of the two GICs (t=2.534; P=0.013) which was confined to the 0,25 mm width groove (t=2.83; P=0.007) with Fuji IX® spreading much further along the groove (10,25 ± 1.17 mm) than Ketac®-Molar (7,66 ± 4,21 mm). Fuji IX® appears to be the better sealant material when selecting for spreadability in ART.