[Amalgam. IX. Substitute for amalgam: durability of composite restorations]

In order to answer the question whether composite is an adequate amalgam substitute, both the biocompatibility and the longevity of the composite restorations are of major importance. In the newly developed composites the wear problem has been overcome, in particular by the modification of the filler. Yet, large restorations will often fail within four years. A relatively large number of the composite restorations will show shortcomings, for instance surface roughness and shortcomings in the marginal adaptation, but the same are true for restorations made of amalgam. Longevity data are shown, but for the newest products five-year in vivo data are lacking.