Summary of: The survival of Class V restorations in general dental practice: part 3, five-year survival

Key Points This study reminds dentists that they are the most important factor determining the survival of Class V restorations. Presents evidence that has been collected from a large number of restorations placed in dental practices and is therefore likely to be particularly relevant to general practitioners. Identifies a number of factors associated with poor restoration survival which can help dentists improve their patient care. Objective To evaluate the survival over five years of Class V restorations placed by UK general practitioners, and to identify factors associated with increased longevity. Design Prospective longitudinal cohort multi-centre study. Setting UK general dental practices. Materials and method Ten general dental practitioners each placed 100 Class V restorations of varying sizes, using a range of materials and recorded selected clinical information at placement and recall visits. After five years the data were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank tests and Cox regressions models to identify significant associations between the time to restoration failure and different clinical factors. Results After five years 275/989 restorations had failed (27.8%), with 116 (11.7%) lost to follow-up. Cox regression analysis identified that, in combination, the practitioner, patient age, cavity size, moisture contamination and cavity preparation were found to influence the survival of the restorations. Conclusions At least 60.5% of the restorations survived for five years. The time to failure of Class V restorations placed by this group of dentists was reduced in association with the individual practitioner, smaller cavities, glass ionomer restorations, cavities which had not been prepared with a bur, moisture contamination, increasing patient age, cavities confined to dentine and non-carious cavities.