Modified cavity preparations for composite resins in primary molars.

Recent clinical studies have suggested that composite resin may be an effective restorative material for the restoration of Class I and Class II preparations in primary molars for up to three years. The objective of this study was to advance understanding ot: the clinical performance of composite resin in primary molars. Two composite resin systems (Profile and Visio Fil) and two cavity preparations (conventional and modified) were compared. Two hundred and forty restorations were placed in 30 patients ranging in age from ~our to eight years. Baseline and 12-month clinical evaluations were performed independently by two trained examiners using the clinical evaluation criteria of the United States Public Health Service. Indirect evaluations were performed similarly for baseline and 12-month data using enlarged color transparencies. When placed in conventional Class I or II or modified Class I preparations, composite resin restorations performed excellently in this study for 12 months. The modified Class II preparation as described in this study performed poorly and cannot be recommended due to its failure rate. In recent years there has been increasing concern about exposure of dental health personnel to the mercury in amalgam alloy restorations. 1 Concerns also have been expressed about the future cost and availability of the metals in dental amalgam. 2 These concerns have led to intense efforts to improve the characteristics of composite resin materials to make them more acceptable for use in posterior teeth. Today more posterior composite materials are emerging on the market and more are likely to be used by practitioners in the future. The use of composites in posterior teeth could change pediatric restorative dentistry dramatically since amalgam is widely used as the restorative material of choice in posterior primary teeth. Because there has been limited research William F. Vann, Jr., DMD, MS, PhD