Conservative Glass ionomer cement occlusal restorations can be as effective as conventional amalgam occlusal restorations.

Subjects The study sample was composed 152 children from 5 primary schools in the Ilala District (one of the districts of the capital city Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) and the mean age at baseline was 11 years. These children were in need of 2 or more restorations on permanent molars. A total of 430 matched contralateral restorations were randomly placed in 152 children, and at the 6-year follow-up, 114 (75%) children were available for evaluation.