Trends In Amalgam And Non-amalgamrestorations Of Posterior Carious Lesions: A Three-yearretrospective Study At University Of Benin Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: There is a gradual increase in the use of non-amalgam restorative materials though the use of Dental amalgam is still popular.
Aim & Objectives: To ascertain the trend in Amalgam and non-amalgam restorations of posterior carious lesions at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) Benin city.
Methodology: A 3-year retrospective analysis of all the restored carious teeth with amalgam and non-amalgam restorative materials at the Conservative Clinic, UBTH. The class of cavities, the teeth affected, the type of restoration carried out, the outcome and the demographics of the patients were obtained from patients' case notes/record books. The data was analyzed using SPSS Version 21, (P ≤0.05).
Results: A total of 960 patients were treated during the study period of which 597(62.19 %) were females and 363 (37.81 %) males with mean age of 31.78 ±12.428 years and female to male ratio of 1.6:1. While the first molars were the most (38.5%) restored teeth, Class I cavity was the most restored (79.2%) cavity and the majority (69.3%) of the restorations were done with amalgam. Amalgam restoration was seen to be more (28.9%) amongst low income earners. There was a statistically significant reduction in use of amalgam in restoring posterior teeth over the 3-year period. (p=0.000).
Conclusion: The use of amalgam as the choice material for restoration of posterior teeth is gradually being replaced by non-amalgam materials in our environment