In which type of amalgam is creep greatest?

Creep in dental amalgam refers to the tendency of the material to deform over time under a constant load, especially at body temperature. Low copper lathe cut alloys are known to exhibit a higher creep value compared to other types of amalgams. This is primarily due to their microstructure and composition, which includes a lower copper content that leads to more significant dimensional changes under stress.

In contrast, high copper lathe cut alloys are designed with improved properties, including reduced creep, because the higher copper content minimizes the formation of gamma 2 phase, which is more prone to deformation. Similarly, fine particle and coarse particle amalgams, which may belong to either high or low copper categories, typically have better resistance to creep depending on their specific formulation and microstructure.

Thus, while other types of amalgams can have varying levels of creep, the low copper lathe cut alloy stands out as having the greatest susceptibility to deformation over time, making it the correct choice in this context.