Journal of Dental Research, Vol 66, 737-739, Copyright © 1987 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
A new method to measure the condensation pressure of amalgam under in vivo conditions
A. S. Lussi and W. B. Buergin
The purpose of this study was to investigate the condensation pressure of
amalgam achieved under close to in vivo conditions by 42 general
practitioners who were asked to fill a pre-cut standard class 2 cavity in a
mannequin head. A measuring device was designed to allow the maximum and
average condensation pressures and working and resting periods to be
obtained. The results showed a maximum condensation pressure of 9.17 +/-
3.04 MPa and 4.09 +/- 1.41 MPa with a small (diameter, 1.15 mm) and a large
(diameter, 1.8 mm) amalgam plugger, respectively. Only one of the 42
dentists reached the recommended condensation pressure of 15 MPa
(Jorgensen, 1977). A significant (p less than or equal to 0.001)
correlation between the duration of the working periods and the maximum
condensation pressure was found (r = 0.61). Further investigations are
required to determine the influence of these different condensation
pressures on the physical properties of various amalgams.
