6-Month Clinical Performance of a New Glass-Ionomer Restorative System

Objective: to evaluate the 6-month clinical performance of a new packable glass-ionomer restorative system used for the restoration of Class II cavities. Methods: Twenty six patients with at least 2 but not more than 4 Class II lesions were enrolled in this study. A total of 60 lesions were randomly divided into two groups according to the restorative systems used (n=30). The lesions in Group 1, were restored with a new glass-ionomer restorative system (EQUIA/ GC) which is a combination of a packable glass-ionomer (Fuji IX GP EXTRA/ GC) and a self-adhesive nano-filled coating (G-Coat PLUS GC); whereas the lesions in Group 2 were restored with a micro-filled composite (Gradia Direct/ GC) in combination with a self-etch adhesive (G-Bond/ GC) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Two independent examiners evaluated the restorations at baseline, after 1 week and 6 months according to the modified USPHS criteria. The differences between two groups were statistically evaluated by Pearson Chi-Square test (p=0, 05). Results: At 6 month recall, 58 restorations were reviewed in 25 patients. Retention rates, anatomic form, recurrent caries, wear, surface texture, post-operative sensitivity and color match were scored as Alpha for all restorations in the two groups. For marginal adaptation, 4 restorations in Group 1 and 5 restorations in Group 2 were scored as Bravo. Besides, 1 restoration in Group 1 and 2 restorations in Group 2 were scored as Bravo for marginal discoloration. However, the differences in terms of marginal adaptation and marginal discoloration were not statistically significant (p>0, 05). Conclusions: At the end of 6 months, the clinical performance of the new glass-ionomer restorative system was as good as the micro-filled composite resin system.