How long do routine dental restorations last? A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Dental materials science
• Clinical dentistry
• Evidence-based dentistry

Background:

• Dental restorations are crucial for restoring tooth function and aesthetics.
• Understanding restoration longevity is key for effective clinical decision-making and patient care.
• Variability in restoration survival necessitates a comprehensive review of existing literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review literature on the longevity of routine dental restorations in permanent posterior teeth.
• To identify and analyze factors contributing to the variability in restoration longevity.
• To assess the quality of existing research on dental restoration survival rates.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review following accepted guidelines.
• Inclusion of simple Class I and Class II restorations (amalgam, composite resin, glass ionomer, cast gold).
• Comprehensive search of electronic databases, hand-searching, and grey literature, followed by validity and quality assessment.

Main Results:

• Eight of 58 relevant research reports met quality criteria.
• Median survival for 50% of restorations was 10 to 20 years, with significant variability.
• Influencing factors included restoration type, materials, patient, operator, practice environment, and care system.

Conclusions:

• Many existing studies have design imperfections.
• Limited data prevents formal statistical analysis of restoration longevity.
• Definitive, well-designed randomized controlled trials with standardized assessments are needed to clarify restoration longevity.