[Restoration materials in overdenture abutment teeth]

To assess the performance of amalgam, resin composite and resin-modified glass ionomer cement as filling material in overdenture abutment teeth, 155 restorations were made to seal the root canal orifices in 49 patients. The three restorative materials were randomly assigned to the abutment teeth using a number of balancing criteria. All patients were reviewed every six months and received the same preventive regimen. Survival was assessed at two levels: complete survival even without maintenance treatments (Scomp) and survival of the original restoration independent from eventual maintenance treatments (Sorig). The calculated overall survival of Sorig and Scomp were 63 +/- 6% and 57 +/- 6% respectively (mean +/- SE). At both levels no statistically significant differences were observed between the survival of the investigated materials. The results of this study did not point out a superior restorative material for the seal of root canal orifices of overdenture abutment teeth. The distribution of failures over the patients indicated a certain patient dependency.