The clinical performance of resin modified and high viscosity glass ionomer cements without conditioning the dentine

Objectives: The resin modified glass ionomer (RMGIC) and glass ionomer cements (GIC) are able to bond to the smear layer due to polyacrylic acid content, which acts as a mild self-conditioner. Furthermore, the inherent dentin irregularities produce during cavity preparation provides micromechanical retention. The aim of the present study was to compare one year clinical performance of a capsulated resin modified glass ionomer cement and a capsulated high viscosity GIC without using a cavity conditioner, leaving the smear layer intact.
Methods: A total of 44 children aged between 6-8 years old who had bilateral matched pairs of approximal carious on mandibular primary molar teeth were included. A total of 88 restorations were placed by using a capsulated RMGIC (Photac Fil) and a capsulated high viscosity GIC (Ketac Molar). The restorations were evaluated after 6 and 12-month intervals using USPHS-Ryge criteria. The results were analyzed statistically using Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank tests.
Results: The 12 month cumulative survival rate for two restorative materials were 94.1 % and 64.7 % for the resin modified glass ionomer cement and high viscosity GIC, respectively. The examiners evaluated 41 children after 12 months of follow-up; dropout rate was 6.8 percent. There was a statistically significant difference in the clinical performance of the two materials.
Conclusions: The resin modified glass ionomer cement performed better than the high viscosity GIC even after without the usage of cavity conditioner.