An in vivo study was developed to observe the penetration of 131INa around the margins of complete crown castings cemented with zinc phosphate cement with and without the application of different protective agents, with the following results. 1. Complete crowns cemented with zinc phosphate cement showed 131INa marginal leakage differences depending on the protective material used prior to cementation. 2. The best protective agent against marginal leakage according to this study was two layers of cavity varnish applied to the margins. 3. The amount of marginal leakage can be influenced by crown adaptation and the film thickness of the cement. 4. There were no differences between test periods of 1 hour or 21 days after cementation.