Factors affecting the placement or replacement of direct restorations in a dental school

CONTEXT: The knowledge of the reasons for the placement of direct restorations makes possible to trace an epidemiological profile of a specific population and to direct the teaching of dentistry to techniques that are commonly used today and will be continued performed in the future. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to verify the reasons for placement and replacement of direct restorations in patients treated in the Dental Clinic of the Uberaba University – Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study evaluated 306 restorative procedures carried out on 60 patients. During the treatment planning, a form that contained information about the patient's gender, tooth number, the classification of restorations, the reasons for placement and replacement of amalgam and tooth-colored restorations, the material that had to be removed and the new material used to fill the cavities was filled for each patient. Statistical analysis was carried out using Chi-square test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The data showed that most of the patients were female (66.7%). Of all the restorations placed, 60.45% were 1(st)-time placements, while 39.55% were replacements. For 1(st)-time restorations, the main reason for placement was primary caries (76.76%), followed by non-carious cervical lesions (15.14%). The amalgam restorations were replaced more frequently (67.77%). The primary reason for replacements was the presence of secondary caries (for both previous amalgam (42.68%) and composite (66.67%) restorations (P < 0.05). The resin composite was the most indicated material for the new restorations (98.04%) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The main reason for placement of direct restorations was primary caries, while secondary caries was the main reason for replacements. In almost all cases, the material used to fill the cavities was the resin composite.