Quintessence international
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Clinical evaluation of different gingival retraction cords.
Impression techniques in restorative dentistry require displacement of gingival tissues to expose subgingival finish lines on tooth preparations. Retraction cords are commonly used for this purpose. Some cord systems include various medicaments, which may remain in the sulcus after retraction procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether any of the commonly used gingival retraction medicaments could influence the surface characteristics of the impression material and to evaluate the clinical performance of retraction cords. ⋯ The applied gingival retraction cord systems had no influence on the surface characterization of the polyvinyl siloxane material tested. Gingival margin quality of the impression and clinical application procedures were affected by the retraction systems. Untreated, medium-braided, and epinephrine-impregnated cord systems were clinically successful. However, the potential systemic effects of epinephrine must be considered.