Effects of Oral Hygiene Habits on the Clinical Performance of Tooth-Coloured Posterior Restorations

Abstract

Background: The search for a material that will meet the present-day demands for good aesthetics and functionality has continued to generate interest in dental material sciences. Resinous materials, especially composite resins have no doubt been employed in meeting some of these demands. These restorations like the natural teeth are often exposed to the effect of toothbrushing and other oral hygiene practices. Objective: The study aimed to assess the effects of toothbrushing on the clinical performance of Resin-based Composites in posterior teeth. Method: This was a prospective study carried out in the conservative clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Following ethical approval, thirty-five patients who had at least three posterior teeth caries and met the inclusion criteria were recruited into the study. The 35 patients then received three restorations each of Organically modified ceramics (ORMOCER), Nanohybrid, and micro-hybrid Results: Thirty-five participants were recruited for this study. Of the 35 participants, 29 (82.9%) were females while 6 (17.1%) were males, giving a female-to-male ratio of 4:1. Each participant had 3 cavities which were restored with each of the test materials, giving a total of 105 restorations. There was a statistically significant finding with those who brushed using the horizontal technique as well as with those who brushed for a longer duration. Conclusion: The present study showed that oral hygiene habits especially tooth brushing have effects on the clinical performance of Resin-based Composites, though the effects vary depending on the aspect of toothbrushing. Keywords: Effects, Oral hygiene, Clinical Performance, Posterior restorations