Survival, reasons for failure and clinical characteristics of anterior/ posterior composites: 8-year findings

Abstract

This retrospective study aimed to compare the annual failure rate (AFR), reasons for failure and factors influencing survival of posterior and anterior composite restorations placed by undergraduate students. Composite restorations placed by undergraduate students were evaluated. The restorations should be in occlusion, with at least one adjacent tooth; and patients should have been present for check-up, with at least 1 annual recall. The investigation was performed in two separate analysis: 1) dental electronic records of 100 patients (n=333 restorations) were selected to assess factors influencing survival; 2) clinical evaluation of 30 patients by examining restorations (n=123) to assess clinical characteristics and failure type distribution. Data were subjected to Kaplan-Meier method, Log-rank test, Cox regression and Fisher’s Exact test (p<0.05). After 8-year period, the AFR was 2.62%. There was difference between anterior and posterior restorations (p=0.005), with anterior showing a higher AFR. The patient caries-risk (p<0.001) and the number of surfaces restored (p=0.010) affected restoration survival. The superficial brightness (p=0.029), fracture (p=0.025) and retention (p=0.011) were clinical criteria with differences between anterior and posterior restorations. Income (p<0.001), caries activity (p<0.001), caries risk (p<0.001) and oclusal risk (p<0.001) also influenced on the restorations survival. After 8-year, the AFR of restorations placed by undergraduate students was acceptable and affected by patient risk factors and the position of the tooth in the arch: anterior restorations failed more than posterior.