Composite versus Amalgam Restorations Placed in Canadian Dental Schools

Area of Science:

• Dental Restorations
• Dental Education Policy
• Materials Science in Dentistry

Background:

• Historically, amalgam restorations were prevalent in dental practice.
• Recent advancements in resin composite materials have improved their clinical performance and aesthetics.
• Dental schools continually adapt their curricula to reflect current clinical practices and material science innovations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in teaching policies and clinical application of posterior composite versus amalgam restorations in Canadian dental schools.
• To compare the allocated preclinical teaching time with the actual number of restorations placed between 2008 and 2018.

Main Methods:

• A survey questionnaire was distributed to 10 Canadian dental schools to assess teaching policies.
• Clinical data on the number of posterior composite and amalgam restorations placed were collected from participating schools.
• Statistical analysis, including linear regression, was employed to identify trends over time.

Main Results:

• A 90% response rate for the teaching policy survey and an 80% response rate for clinical data collection were achieved.
• While some schools allocated significant preclinical time to amalgam, posterior composite placement became dominant from 2013 onwards.
• A statistically significant increasing trend in posterior composite restoration placement was observed across responding schools (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

• There is a clear shift towards increased placement of posterior composite restorations and a decline in amalgam use in Canadian dental schools.
• Discrepancies exist between the time allocated for teaching posterior composites and the actual number of these restorations being placed.
• Recommendations include reviewing and adjusting dental school curricula to better align teaching time with current clinical demands for posterior composite restorations.