How did two treatments for Class II cavities in permanent teeth compare after two years?

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The study compared ART restorations using high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement (HVGIC) with conventional resin composite restorations in Class II cavities of permanent teeth over two years. In this parallel randomized clinical trial, 54 participants received 77 restorations with each material: Equia Fil-GC Corporation for ART and Z350-3M for conventional restorations.

Restorations were assessed at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years using ART criteria and modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. Statistical analysis used the chi-square test and survival analysis, with p<0.05.

For ART restorations, success rates were 98.7% at 6 months and 95.8% at 1 year under both criteria. At 2 years, ART success was 92% under modified USPHS criteria and 90.3% under ART criteria (p=0.466). Conventional restoration success was 100% at 6 months, 98.7% at 1 year and 91.5% at 2 years under both criteria.

At 2 years, ART restoration survival was lower under ART criteria (83.7%) than under modified USPHS criteria (87.8%; p=0.051). Conventional restoration survival was 90.7% under both criteria. The researchers concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in two-year success rates between HVGIC ART and conventional resin composite restorations in Class II cavities of permanent teeth.