Abstract
Aims: This in vitro study was conducted to exam the effect of condensation technique on surface hardness of MTA. Materials and Methods: In this study, 20 acrylic blocks were used. In each block a cubic shape cavity 4 mm in width and 4 mm in depth was prepared. The first group which involve ten samples were filled with MTA using hand condensation method. The other ten samples were filled with MTA using hand method followed by ultrasonic activation for one second after each increment. All sample after setting were prepare for Vickers Hardness Test. The first group subjected to a load started from 0.5 Kg and show fatigue at 1 kg using the Vickers Hardness Machine. The second group subjected to a load started from 0.5 Kg and increased the load until showed fatigue of the material at 3 Kg using the Vickers Hardness Machine. All the samples were examined using stereo microscope the magnification power about 200x to perform hardness number. Results: Samples condensed with hand method followed by ultrasonic condensation showed more surface hardness than samples condensed with hand method only. There was highly significant difference between samples. Conclusions: Because OF use MTA as pulp capping is import to use Ultrasonic condensation for placement of MTA.
