[Risk factors for class II dental restoration survival:a practice-based study]

Area of Science:

• Dental Restorations
• Clinical Dentistry
• Evidence-Based Dentistry

Background:

• Class II restorations are common dental procedures.
• Understanding factors influencing their longevity is crucial for clinical practice.
• Variability in outcomes necessitates investigation into contributing variables.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of class II restorations.
• To identify practice, patient, tooth, and restoration-related factors affecting survival.
• To determine the annual failure rate (AFR) of these restorations.

Main Methods:

• Practice-based cohort study design.
• Analysis of electronic patient files from 11 general dental practices in the Netherlands.
• Inclusion of 31,472 class II restorations placed between January 2015 and October 2017.

Main Results:

• Mean annual failure rate (AFR) was 7.8% at 2 years.
• Significant variation in AFRs observed among operators (3.6%–11.4%).
• Patient factors (age, health, caries risk, parafunctional habits) and tooth/restoration factors (fracture vs. caries) increased reintervention risk.

Conclusions:

• Numerous risk factors at practice, patient, and tooth levels impact class II restoration survival.
• Restorations placed due to fracture showed higher failure rates than those for caries.
• Operator variability underscores the importance of standardized techniques and individualized patient management.