Objective: The study aims were to determine which material is most commonly used to repair or replace defective restorations and to determine whether some materials are more commonly used to repair or replace existing restorations in Dental Practice-Based Research Network practices (DPBRN; www.DentalPBRN.org).
Methods: This cross-sectional study used a consecutive patient/restoration recruitment design. Practitioner-investigators recorded data for 50 or more enrolled restoration that needed repair or replacement on permanent tooth surfaces. The DPBRN comprises outpatient dental practices mainly from five regions in the United States and Scandinavia that have affiliated to investigate research questions. Data collected included the tooth type and tooth surfaces being restored and the restorative material of the failed restoration, including amalgam (AM), direct resin-based composite (DRBC), indirect resin-based composite (IRBC), glass-ionomer (GI), ceramic or porcelain (PC), gold (GD), and metal-ceramic (PFM).
Results: Data about the material used to repair or replace the existing restoration were available from 8,290 restorations in 4,703 patients recruited by 165 dentists. The most commonly used materials to replace restorations were: DRBC (54%), AM (21%), PFM (14%), PC (5%), GD (2%), and GI (2%). The most commonly used materials to repair restorations were: DRBC (59%), AM (32%) and GI (8%). The material in the existing restoration was significantly associated with the type of material used to repair it (p < .001) or replace it entirely (p = .001). Regarding replacement, GI (79%) and AM (67%) restorations were more likely to be replaced with a different material. DRBC (79%) and PFM (74%) were more likely to be replaced with the same material. Regarding repair, RBC (93%), AM (57%), and GI (46%) restorations were more likely to be repaired with the same material.
Conclusion: Direct resin-based composite was the most commonly used material to both repair or replace existing defective restorations.