The age of restorations in situ.

In a cross-sectional survey the age of restorations in situ was recorded in three patient groups. Group A were randomly examined regular attenders, group B were irregular attenders randomly chosen from patient treatment records, and in group C the age of posterior gold and composite resin restorations was recorded in selected regular attenders. The study material included 8310 restorations in group A, 1281 in group B, and 500 restorations in group C. The three materials amalgam, composite, and gold accounted for more than 90% of all restorations. In group A 3.3% of the restorations were scheduled for replacement. The most prevalent reasons for replacement were secondary caries, bulk fractures of the restoration, and tooth fractures. The median age of the failed restorations was fairly similar to the median age of the acceptable restorations in situ among the regular patients (group A). The data indicate median ages of 20 years for gold restorations, 12-14 years for amalgam restorations, and 7-8 years for composite resin restorations. The restoration ages were influenced by the type and size of the restoration, the restorative material used, and possibly also the intra-oral location of the restorations.