Clinical assessment of amalgam fillings

The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of amalgam fillings among 20-yr-old Helsinki University students. The quality of the fillings was evaluated for the teeth 16 and 46. The marginal adaptation, anatomical form and surface texture of the fillings were evaluated and the filled surfaces were classified as being good, or requiring refinishing or replacement. The age of the fillings and how often they had been replaced were also evaluated from previous records. 47% of the filled surfaces were classified as good, 43% needed to be refinished and 10% needed replacement. The reasons for refinishing a filling were faults in surface texture (61%), anatomical form (23%) or marginal adaptation (16%). The reasons for replacing a filling were fractured filling (38%), secondary caries or incorrect marginal adaptation (23%), inadequate anatomical form (13%) or poor surface texture (26%) which could not be refinished. The mean age of all fillings was 6.6 yr. The mean age of fillings which needed replacement was 7.3 yr. The maxillary first molar had been filled an average of 2.0 times and the mandibular first molar 2.2 times by the age of 20 yr.