title: Practitioner, patient and carious lesion characteristics associated with type of restorative material: findings from The Dental Practice-Based Research Network.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The authors conducted a study to identify factors associated with the materials that dentists in The Dental Practice-Based Research Network (DPBRN) use when placing the first restoration on permanent posterior tooth surfaces.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 182 DPBRN practitioner-investigators provided data regarding 5,599 posterior teeth with caries. Practitioner-investigators completed an enrollment questionnaire that included the dentist's age, sex, practice workload, practice type and number of years since graduation. When patients who had provided informed consent to participate in the investigation sought treatment for a previously unrestored carious surface, the practitioner-investigator recorded patient and tooth characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Practitioner-investigators used amalgam more often than they used direct resin-based composite (RBC) for posterior carious lesions. Practitioner and practice characteristics (years since graduation and type of practice); patient characteristics (sex, race, age and dental insurance status); and lesion characteristics (tooth location and surface, preoperative and postoperative lesion depth) were associated with the type of restorative material used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several practitioner and practice, patient and lesion characteristics were associated significantly with use of amalgam and RBC: geographical region, years since dentist's graduation, patient's dental insurance status, tooth location and surface, and preoperative and postoperative lesion depth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite advances in esthetic dentistry, U.S. dentists still are placing amalgam on posterior teeth with carious lesions. Amalgam was used more often than RBC in older patients, who may have had deeper carious lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 3rd Ave. South, SDB 111, Birmingham, AL 35294-0007, USA. smakhija@uab.edu
authors.forename: Sonia K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Makhija
authors.forename: Valeria V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Gordan
authors.forename: Gregg H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Litaker
authors.forename: D Brad
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Rindal
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Pihlstrom
authors.forename: Vibeke
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Qvist
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000473:pathology; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003188:Composite Resins; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000473:pathology; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003804:Dentin / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016526:Workload
chemical_list: D003188:Composite Resins; D003764:Dental Materials; D003723:Dental Amalgam