Class II restorations in primary teeth: 7-year study on three resin-modified glass ionomer cements and a compomer

The aim of this randomized study was to compare the longevity and cariostatic effects of 1565 class II restorations in primary teeth placed by 15 clinicians in the Danish Public Dental Health Service in 971 children, aged 3.6-14.9 yr. The restorations were performed using three resin-modified glass ionomer cements and one compomer (polyacid-modified composite resin) with and without their respective cavity conditioners. The restorations were in contact with 1023 unrestored proximal surfaces in 853 primary and 170 permanent teeth. The study was terminated after 7 yr with 1% of the restorations in function, 7% patient dropouts, 18% failed restorations, and operative treatment on 24% of the adjacent surfaces. Multivariate survival analyses showed that the restorative material and cavity conditioning influenced the survival of restorations but not the progression of caries on adjacent surfaces. The 50% survival times were estimated to exceed 5 yr for the restorations and 4.5 yr for the adjacent unfilled surfaces in all treatment groups. It was concluded that resin-modified glass ionomer cement and compomer are both appropriate materials for class II restorations in primary teeth. The differences in longevity and cariostatic effects among the four materials used with and without conditioner were less than the intra-individual differences between clinicians.