Dental fillings in school-children from the Alcalá la Real-Martos Health District (Jaén)

To evaluate 4-6 years later the state of dental fillings in 6-8 year old school-children treated at a health centre. Monitoring of a cohort with intervention. Alcalá la Real Health Centre (Jaén). In the school years 94-95 and 95-96 a total de 88 second-year EPO (compulsory primary education) students received at least one occlusal silver amalgam filling in their first permanent molars. 4-6 years later, 78 students, who had had 157 fillings, were examined. Silver amalgam fillings in first permanent molars. The success or failure of the fillings was measured. The failure rate was 11.5% (95% CI, 6.0-17.0), with authentic failures (marginal infiltration, recurrent caries, broken filling and broken tooth) (58.8%) predominating over false failures (caries elsewhere) (41.2%). Neither sex, age when the filling was inserted, dental arch (upper or lower), nor the index of temporary caries at the start were statistically linked to the failure of fillings. In clinical terms, the health centre has an adequate level of efficacy 4-6 years after inserting simple silver amalgam fillings in 6-8 year old school-children.