Trend of posterior teeth restoration at ibadan, Nigeria

A Dental amalgam is the most used restorative material in the posterior region of the mouth and has proven to be remarkably durable; however there has been a global change in recent years to restore posterior teeth with composite resin.

To ascertain the trend of posterior teeth cavity restorations at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Nigeria.

A-5year retrospective analysis of all the restored posterior cavities at the Dental Conservation Clinic, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Class of cavities, the teeth affected, and the type of restoration made, the outcome and the demographics of the patients were part recorded. The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20, for frequencies, and means were used for continuous variables while chi square was used to compare the categorical variables (P ≤0.05).

A total of 845 teeth were restored during the study period in 368(43.6 %) males and 477(56.4 %) females with mean age of 40.4 ±15.92 years and male to female ratio of 1:1.3. While the first and second molars were the most (62.6%) restored teeth, Class I cavity was the most restored (42.4%) cavity and the majority (80.4%) of the restorations was done with composite. There was a statistical significant reduction in use of amalgam in restoring posterior teeth over the 5 year period. (p=0.000).

The use of amalgam as choice material for restoration of posterior teeth is gradually being replaced by composite in our environment which emphasizes the need to ensure the quality and durability of the composites used.