Structural Density of Compacted Gold Foil and Mat Gold

¹ Department of Operative Dentistry, University of Washington, School of Dentistry, Seattle, Washington

The compaction of gold foil and mat gold into a cavity created similar structures of dense gold and voids. Hardness measurements varied in numerical values because of porosities. Although qualified numbers were difficult to obtain, the hardness indentations were useful for mapping hard and soft areas in specimens. A more convenient method was to remove the surface with aqua regia and examine the underlying structures with the microscope. Results indicated that the theoretical ideal of a dense and solid gold restoration was not achieved with either gold foil or mat gold.