[Toward an ideal composite: is every modification a synonym for improvement?]

Composite materials have gained widespread acceptance as anterior and posterior direct restorations. The past decades have been marked by a rapid development of new adhesive techniques and frequent changes of products and their presentation. Several of the new features have been shown to be of less clinical importance than initially claimed, others still await long-term clinical studies. If used according to indications and guidelines, composite restorations can achieve a satisfactory life-span. However, user factors determine a great part of the individual success. Clinical evaluation by long-term controlled studies is less frequent than in-vitro studies. Between the initiation of a study and the publication of the results the products more often than not have been replaced.