The Management of Defective Resin Composite Restorations: Current Trends in Dental School Teaching in Japan

Abstract

SUMMARYAim:The aim of this article is to investigate the contemporary teaching of the management of defective direct resin composite restorations in dental schools in Japan.Methods:A questionnaire relating to the teaching of the management of defective resin composite restorations was developed and e-mailed to 29 dental schools in Japan in 2010.Results:Completed responses were received from 19 of the 29 invited schools (response rate = 66%). Eighteen schools (95%) report that they included the teaching of repair of direct defective resin composite restorations in their dental school programs. Thirteen schools reported that they included both clinical and didactic instruction on the repair of direct resin composite restorations. Fourteen schools did not teach any mechanical roughening of the exposed resin composite restoration surface before undertaking a repair. The most commonly reported treatment was acid etching with phosphoric acid (12 schools). The most commonly taught material for completing repairs was a flowable resin composite (16 schools).Conclusion:The teaching of repair of defective resin composite restorations is well established within many Japanese dental schools, to a greater extent than in some other regions of the world. The impact of this teaching on subsequent clinical practices in Japan should be investigated. Furthermore, it is concluded that there is a need for much stronger leadership in operative and conservative dentistry, ideally at the global level, to resolve differences in key aspects of operative procedures such as repairs.