Five-year clinical evaluation of two adhesive systems in non-carious cervical lesions

Objective This controlled clinical trial evaluated the 5-year clinical performance of a self-etching primer system including selective enamel-etching with phosphoric acid and a one-bottle adhesive system. Methods Seventy-two non-carious cervical lesions in 8 patients (4 male and 4 female) with a mean age of 61.3 years (range 45–78) participated in the study. An enamel bevel was placed and dentin lightly ground, and cavities restored with clearfil liner bond II (LB) or single bond (SB) in conjunction with a hybrid resin composite (Clearfil AP-X). In the case of 27 cavities for LB, the enamel was pretreated with 37% phosphoric acid for 10 s. Each patient received both types of restoration, which were distributed on a random basis. All restorations (37 restorations for LB and 35 restorations for SB) were placed by one dentist. The restorations were evaluated blind after 5 years using modified USPHS criteria. The data were statistically analyzed using the Fisherʹs exact test. Results All but one restoration (which was replaced by a crown after the 2-year recall) were evaluated after 5 years. 100% retention rates were recorded for both restorative groups. No caries was detected in association with any restorations. The only minor problem was marginal discoloration; superficial and localized marginal discoloration occurred around 18% of the restorations, and mainly at the dentin margin. There were no significant differences in the marginal integrity between the LB and SB groups. Conclusions Restorative materials used in this study demonstrated a good clinical effectiveness in the restoration of non-carious cervical lesions for 5 years.