A systematic review of dental instruments used for interproximal contact point restoration in posterior teeth

Abstract

Relevance. Anatomical and functional restoration of an interproximal contact point is an important step in the comprehensive treatment and prevention of periodontal disease. A lot of tools are applicable for interproximal contact point restoration. Since the first application of the first composite material in dentistry, over one hundred instruments have been proposed, with different characteristics and positive and negative features. The variety available on the market may lead to a mistake in the instrument choice, which decreases the dentist's work quality. Purpose. To systematically review the clinical experience in dental instruments used for posterior tooth interproximal contact point restoration.Materials and methods. The review analyzed Russian and international studies on the dental instruments used for posterior tooth interproximal contact point restoration that met the specified criteria. The primary search was performed in the databases Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, ResearchGate, and eLIBRARY.RU, using the keywords: контактный пункт, инструмент, матрица, клин, interproximal contact, matrix, wedge, dental instrument in the Russian and English languages.Results. We selected 24 original primary prospective studies on instruments for an interproximal contact point restoration certified in Russia. All instruments were divided into two groups: matrix systems (Palodent V3, HAWE SuperMat, TOR VM) and additional instruments (Contact-Pro-2, OptraContact).Conclusion. The experience of the instruments’ clinical application and the history of their creation have demonstrated a shift towards the anatomically-guided reconstruction of lost tissue. Thus, developing a tool for the anatomical and functional restoration of an interproximal contact point is a challenge for modern dentistry.