Fifty years of glass ionomers (GICs). Are the latest GICs suitable for restoring back teeth?

Abstract

Glass ionomer cements (GICs) have been available for use by clinicians for almost 50 years. Their beneficial properties, such as adhesion to tooth substance, have long been recognized, but early materials suffered from brittleness, lack of translucency, poor wear resistance and solubility in oral fluids. Hence, over the years, new variants have been developed with a view to overcoming these difficulties. If the latest materials were found to be clinically successful in loadbearing situations in posterior teeth, they could hold advantages because of their easier placement than resin composite materials and possibly be more cost-effective. It is therefore the purpose of this article to review recent research into the performance of the laboratory and clinical performance of high viscous GICs and the so-called glass hybrid materials that have developed from the conventional GICs. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Glass ionomer materials, which, unlike resin composite restorations do not need a separate bonding agent, may hold technique advantages during restoration placement.