Publication:

An overview of composite versus amalgam for dental restorations

When any loss of the tooth structure happens, it’s restoration using different filling materials is essential to compensate for the defective parts. Among the most commonly used dental restorative materials, dental amalgam & composite resins prevail. We have searched the relevant studies that compared composite resins and amalgam restorations to review them in different aspects including the clinical, economic, biocompatibility and patients’ perspectives. Regarding the clinical perspective, most of the reviewed investigations showed that composite resin restorations were associated with higher failure rates and developed dental caries more than restorations made by the amalgam alloys. There were no significant differences noticed between the two materials regarding the side effects as both caused nearly similar neurological and renal affection. Based on the findings from previous studies, we could only notice that some studies reported that microalbuminuria may be associated with composite resins. We have also found that patients’ satisfaction with the amalgam restorations was low due to the potential development of some side effects that were attributable to lead intoxication. In conclusion, we recommend that further investigations should be conducted.