Survival time of direct dental restorations in adults

AbstractIntroductionThe presence of dental caries is the main reason for the placement and replacement of restorations. Maintaining restorations to a satisfactory clinical condition is a challenge, despite the evolution of materials and surgical operative techniques.ObjectiveTo investigate the survival time and technical-operatory characteristics of dental restorations among adults in Teresina-PI.Material and methodData collection was carried out from September 2009 to January 2010 at a non-profit dental service. Data were collected at the moment of restoration replacement. The sample consisted of 262 defective restorations in 139 individuals. Survival time was calculated using the placement date that was registered on the individual’s dental form. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare the survival time of the different types of restorations and the chi-square test was used to assess the association between qualitative variables, at a 5% significance level.ResultThe median survival time of the restorations was 2 years. The survival time for amalgam was higher than for composite and glass ionomer cement (p=0.004). The most replaced dental material was the composite (66.4%). The majority of the replaced restorations had been placed in anterior teeth, in proximal surfaces.ConclusionAmalgam restorations have a longer survival time than composite resin. Technical and operatory variables had no influence on the survival time of restorations. Dental restorations have a low survival time and this fact might be associated with the decion-making process that is adopted by the professionals.