Five year evaluation of class III composite resin restorations in cavities pre-treated with an oxalic- or a phosphoric acid conditioner.

An oxalic acid solution has been proposed as a conditioning agent for resin composite restorations in two commercial adhesive systems. The durability of 163 class III restorations, including 12 class IV restorations, in cavities pre-treated with an oxalic acid total etch technique or an enamel etch with phosphoric acid was studied. Each of 52 patients received at least one of each of three experimental restorations. The restorations were evaluated yearly with slightly modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. After 5 years 95% of the restorations were evaluated as acceptable. Reasons for failure were the fracture of four fillings, including three class IV, secondary caries contiguous to two fillings and a non-acceptable colour match for one restoration. For eight class III restorations a fracture of the incisal tooth structure was registered. No differences were seen between the three experimental restorations.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes