A comparison of the traditional casting method and the galvanoforming technique in gold alloy prosthetic restorations

Abstract

Gold is a dental material with very good mechanical properties. It is also aesthetic and biocompatible with the tissues of the oral cavity even at 100% purity. Prosthetic restorations made of pure gold or its alloys can be practiced either through a normal casting, as well as through using the galvanoforming technique. The electrolytic method was first introduced into dentistry about 20 years ago and it allows for producing “pure” gold (which means 99.99% Au). The lack of additions of other metals improves the properties of dental prostheses, such as marginal tightness, esthetics, biocompatibility, and it helps in eliminating any allergic reactions. The literature review presented in this paper is a comparison of the traditional casting method with the newer galvanoforming technique.

Keywords

• gold
• gold alloys
• galvanoforming technique
• biocompatibility
• fixed dentures