The causes of failure and the longevity of direct coronal restorations: A survey among dental surgeons of the town of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to itemize the causes for the failure of direct coronal restorations (DCRs) according to the practitioners of Côte d'Ivoire in order to provide recommendations for good practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive, self-reporting, prospective survey was carried out among 109 dental surgeons (DSs) in the town of Abidjan based on 587 randomly selected practitioners supplied by the National Board of the Order. RESULTS: The results show that 98.10% of the surveyed DSs had previously encountered cases of failure. Fracturing of the restoration, which is the basis for the hiatus, is the main cause of failure according to 51.40% of the surveyed practitioners, followed by pain “under the restoration” cited by 26.20% of them. Failure occurs within 6 months (30.85% of those surveyed), after 5 years (9.6% of those surveyed) for restorations with composite or glass ionomer cement (GIC), while for DCRs with amalgam, failure occurs within 6 months (28.70%), after 5 years (16%) and beyond 10 years (3.20%). CONCLUSION: The practitioners often encountered failures of DCRs, with fracture of the restoration as the cause. Dental amalgam appears to have a greater longevity than adhesive restorations. Faced with a failure, they more often opted for a replacement of the DCRs rather than a repair.