In vitro pulp chamber temperature rise during fabrication of provisional restorations on different types of teeth

Purpose: This in vitro study compared the temperature rise in the pulp chamber during fabrication of provisional resinous restorations on three types of teeth by a direct method. Materials and Methods: The tip of a thermocouple was positioned into the pulp chamber of thirty intact extracted human teeth. Then the teeth were divided into three different tooth groups (incisor, premolar, molar) and prepared for a complete crown. One poly(methyl methacrylate) (Quick Resin) and two composites (Protemp 3 Garant and Luxatemp) were measured and mixed according to manufacturer's instructions. The resin mixture was placed into a poly(vinyl siloxane) impression and was then positioned on the prepared teeth. Temperature change in the pulp chamber during polymerization of the resin mixture was recorded. The results were analyzed with a two-way ANOVA and the LSD test (α=0.05). Results: Two-way ANOVA revealed that intrapulpal temperature changes were significantly influenced by tooth types (p<0.01) and provisional resinous materials tested (p<0.01), but no significant interaction between the tooth types and the tested materials (p=0.575) was observed. LSD test revealed that the intrapulpal temperature rise was higher when provisional resinous materials were fabricated on incisors than on premolars (p<0.01) or on molars (p<0.01). Conclusion: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the results indicate that the poly(methyl methacrylate) produced the higher exothermic reaction than the composite resins. Fabrication of provisional restorations directly on incisors could induce higher temperature rise than on premolars or on molars. (Int Chin J Dent 2007; 7: 69-74.)