Replacements of restorations in the primary and young permanent dentition

The present study focused on the type of restorative material used and the reasons for replacements of restorations in the primary and the young permanent dentition. All patients with restorations and who were 8 and 19 years of age in 1995 and were regularly treated at 11 Public Dental Health clinics in Jönköping County, Sweden, participated in the study. Data were extracted from the records for all types of restorations in canines and molars for the preceeding of 5 years for the 8-year-olds (i.e. from 3 to 8 years of age; n = 546) and for approximal restorations in premolars and molars for the preceeding 13 years for the 19-year-olds (i.e. from 6 to 19 years of age; n = 606). In all, 6012 restorations were evaluated. The two most common restorative materials used in the primary dentition were compomer and glass ionomer cement and in the young permanent dentition composite and amalgam. In the primary dentition, 29% of the restorations had been replaced and 4% of the teeth with restorations had been extracted. Thus, 33% of the restorations in the primary dentition failed. The corresponding figure for the young permanent dentition was 13%. The most common reason for replacements in the permanent dentition was secondary caries. That restorations often fail because of caries and that the development of secondary caries is not prevented by replacement of an old restoration indicate that more attention should be paid to preventive dental care for patients with restorations in the primary as well as in the young permanent dentition.