Oper Dent. 2020 May/Jun;45(3):255-264. doi: 10.2341/19-024-C. Epub 2020 Jan 29.
Information on the choice of material and performance of restorations placed in a dental practice annually is limited. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is likely to affect the use of amalgam worldwide. The objective of this research was to investigate the use of restorative materials at the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry in New Zealand from 1998 to 2017.
Data from the Faculty of Dentistry's database from the years of interest were compiled. These data included information on the characteristics of restorations, including information on the material used and number of surfaces involved for each restoration. The tooth in which each restoration was placed was categorized by arch, tooth type, and deciduous or permanent dentition.
Records identified 227,514 permanent restorations placed from January 1998 to December 2017, of which 91.7% were direct restorations. Among direct restorations, composite resin was the most commonly used material, followed by amalgam, glass ionomer, and compomer. The use of amalgam for direct restorations decreased from 52.3% of direct restorations in 1998 to 7.1% in 2017. A corresponding increase was observed in the use of tooth-colored direct restorations, particularly composites. Among indirect restorations, porcelain fused to metal, gold, and stainless steel (in pediatric applications) were the materials most frequently used.
Despite having no official policy on reducing the use of dental amalgam, the Faculty of Dentistry is following the global trend in reducing its use, with composite resin now well established as the predominant restorative material used. If the current rate of decline persists unchecked, the Faculty of Dentistry could transition to being amalgam free by 2020, although it seems likely that the characteristics and principles of use of the material (and its removal) will be taught for some time to come. This knowledge is important to planning curriculum changes needed to prepare graduates for clinical practice.
目前，有关每年在牙科诊所中选择修复材料和性能的信息十分有限。《水俣公约》很可能会影响全球范围内汞合金的使用。本研究旨在调查新西兰奥塔哥大学牙科学院自 1998 年至 2017 年期间修复材料的使用情况。
收集感兴趣年份牙科学院数据库中的数据。这些数据包括修复体特征的信息，包括使用的材料以及每个修复体涉及的表面数量的信息。每个修复体所在的牙齿按牙弓、牙齿类型以及乳牙或恒牙进行分类。
记录确定了 1998 年 1 月至 2017 年 12 月期间放置的 227514 个永久修复体，其中 91.7%为直接修复体。在直接修复体中，复合树脂是最常用的材料，其次是汞合金、玻璃离子体和复合体。1998 年直接修复体中汞合金的使用率为 52.3%，而 2017 年则降至 7.1%，用于直接修复体的汞合金的使用相应减少。与此同时，牙色直接修复体，特别是复合材料的使用有所增加。在间接修复体中，烤瓷熔附金属、金和不锈钢（在儿科应用中）是最常使用的材料。
尽管该学院没有关于减少牙科汞合金使用的官方政策，但随着复合树脂的广泛应用，它正在遵循全球减少汞合金使用的趋势。如果目前的下降速度持续下去，该学院可能会在 2020 年之前过渡到无汞合金状态，尽管在未来一段时间内，人们似乎仍会继续教授这种材料的特性和使用原则（及其去除方法）。这一知识对于规划课程变更以培养为临床实践做好准备的毕业生至关重要。
