Longevity of dental restorations in selected patients from different practice environments

The objective of the study was to evaluate the long-term survivals or longevity of dental restorations placed in selected patients from different practice environments in two countries. The case histories of 46 adult patients with 622 restorations placed in three private practices in Pakistan were followed for a minimum of 10 years, and compared with similar assessments of 50 adult patients with 966 restorations placed in a dental hospital in Australia. Amalgam and composite resin restorations showed similar survivals in both countries, but cast gold restorations had much lower survivals in the Pakistan group of patients. In both countries, restoration survivals were significantly better in females, and when patients attended less frequently for treatment. For the Australian group, changes in dental operators also gave significantly better survivals, and there were significant restoration survival differences present between the three practices in Pakistan.