title: Marginal failures of amalgam and composite restorations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to clinically assess marginal failures of amalgam and composite restorations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Marginal defects with and without clinical evidence of secondary caries were evaluated by practitioners pre-operatively and after the restoration had been carefully removed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses of 235 amalgam and 193 composite restorations with marginal failures showed that secondary caries was the most frequent diagnosis resulting in replacement. The secondary caries was predominately found along the gingival section of the restoration. A comparison of pre-operative diagnoses of marginal discrepancies, and the condition of the cavities at the site of the defects after the restorations had been carefully removed, showed fairly good consistency, but both false negative and false positive diagnoses were made.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observations indicated that diagnosis of the outer lesion of secondary caries provides a good basis for treatment planning.
authors.affiliation: College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0415, USA.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mjör
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Qvist
mesh_terms: D003188:Composite Resins; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D018772:Dental Marginal Adaptation; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D019233:Retreatment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D003188:Composite Resins; D003723:Dental Amalgam