The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of a topical surfactant (Hydrosystem), designed for clinical use, improved the quality of the impression surface of two poly(vinyl siloxane) materials used in vivo. Before impressions were taken, Hydrosystem was applied to the maxillary left or right premolar teeth, allocated at random, in 50 subjects. The untreated side acted as a control for each subject. The impressions were examined for quality of reproduction and number of surface defects. Hydrosystem was found to significantly improve the quality of reproduction.