Composite resin attached to glass polyalkenoate (ionomer) cement--the laminate technique

Since the introduction of the laminate technique where composite resin is placed over glass polyalkenoate cement in an endeavour to obtain a marginal seal to tooth substance, it has been advocated and used by many clinicians. This review examines the available literature on this apparently commonly used technique. A wide-ranging evaluation of the technique is allowed by the extensive nature of the literature. The conclusion of the review is that more work is required to evaluate the procedure, but the results of in vitro and, in particular, in vivo studies suggest that the technique may not be as successful clinically as the theory may support.