Relationship of Restoration Width,Tooth Position,and Alloy to Fracture at the Margins of 13- to 14-year-old Amalgams

Abstract

The effect of width of the restoration, tooth position, and amalgam type on the fracture of the margins of 13- to 14-year-old, high-copper, amalgam restorations was evaluated. The evaluation assessed 193 photographs of restorations by use of ridit analysis and a rank-ordering test. The results indicated that the width of the restoration was the predominant factor and that tooth position and the different high-copper alloys were less significant. Interactions between tooth position and width indicated that lower premolars with conservative restorations exhibited the least fracture at the margins, and upper premolars with a wide preparation exhibited the most. It is postulated that tooth deflection under mastication may play a role in long-term fracture at the margins of amalgams.

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