Direct versus indirect veneer restorations for intrinsic dental stains

Patients with discoloured teeth frequently present to the dentist requesting restorations designed to improve their appearance. For teeth that are sound, this might include the use of a veneer restoration. The veneer acts as a thin layer of a material covering the labial surface of a tooth and can be applied directly to the tooth, or by using indirect methods.

To examine the effectiveness of direct versus indirect laminate veneer restorations.

The following electronic databases were searched: The Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), (The Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2002), MEDLINE (1980 to 19/11/2002) and EMBASE (1980 to 19/11/2002). There was no restriction on language.

All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of participants with permanent anterior teeth suitable for restorations using laminate veneers, comparing direct (different composite materials) and indirect techniques for making dental veneers. The indirect restorations may be either composite or porcelain. The primary outcome was restoration failure.

Assessment of relevance and validity and data extraction were conducted in triplicate. Authors of the primary studies were contacted to provide additional information as necessary.

Six full publications were screened as being potentially relevant to the review, only one trial was found to meet the review's inclusion criteria. Although the trial met the review's inclusion criteria with regard to participant characteristics, interventions and outcomes assessed, problems with the reporting of the data prevented any statistical analysis of the results.

There is no reliable evidence to show a benefit of one type of veneer restoration (direct or indirect) over the other with regard to the longevity of the restoration.