Reflections from undergraduate teaching experiences: some problems and solutions of restoring teeth with dental resin composite instead of dental amalgam

This is a simple personal reflection on some of the problems and solutions related to the increasing use of composite resin to replace dental amalgam when dental students learn to place restorations at the start of their careers. To the author, much seems common sense. Much is not, or cannot, be backed up by ideal science and some may still be considered outdated to the more progressive practitioner. Unfortunately, prospective, ideally-designed clinical trials may no longer be possible to seek the answers we lack due to ethical, organisational, financial or other constraints. Key points A well-designed and placed amalgam restoration may still provide many years of useful service under circumstances where it would be impossible to place a composite resin. Progressive improvements in composite resin provide greater utility and confidence in placement of this type of restoration for the majority of dental practitioners. The continued clinical application of materials science combined with well-designed studies of clinical outcomes are still of critical importance to our understanding of what works best when restoring teeth.