Temporary cements left in place for more than a few weeks may experience microleakage, bacterial infiltration, and resultant caries. A study by Lewinstein, et al originally published in the International Journal of Prosthodontics evaluated the effects of adding stannous fluoride to 3 different temporary cements in terms of marginal leakage and retention of provisional crowns. The study found that the addition of stannous fluoride increased retention of the provisional crowns for all 3 cements, with increases for 2 of the cements being significant. Addition of fluoride showed no effect on microleakage, but solubility increased for all 3 cements. The increase in solubility may improve antibacterial properties.
(Source: Dental Abstracts, Vol. 48, No. 5, 2003)
