Frequency of Postoperative Sensitivity in Posterior Class I Composite Restorations

The growing demand for esthetic restorations has driven the dentists to provide composite resin restorations even in the posterior class I situations. In these load bearing locations of the teeth, composite resins are subjected to a very thorough biodynamic testing which revealed some of their shortcomings. Persistent postoperative sensitivity has been recognized to be a reason for failure of these restorations. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of postoperative sensitivity in posterior class I composite restorations placed in cavities less than or equal to a 3 mm depth. A total of 292 cavities were restored without any protective liners or base by one of the authors in an academic environment which were followed up at 48 hours for an objective cold test. The frequency of postoperative sensitivity was around 13% and no statistically significant relationship was found between patient age and tooth type (p value > 0.000). While the cavity depths were limited the buccolingual widths remained unchecked and in some cases resulted in considerable occlusal table correction. This may be the reason for a greater postoperative sensitivity in the present study.