4-META use in dentistry: a literature review.

4-META (4-methacryloyloxyethy trimellitate anhydride) was invented and patented in Japan in January 1979 and patented in the United States in April 1979. For the first 8 years, 4-META dental products (manufactured by Sun Medical Co, Kyoto, Japan) were not readily available in North America. Most of the early research therefore was done in Japan and reported in Japanese. A second wave of products (manufactured by Parkell, Farmingdale, N.Y.) became available in the United States in 1987, which precipitated research in English. This article is a chronological review of the literature published between 1978 and 1998 on 4-META dental adhesive materials. Thirteen commercial products are reviewed in terms of their physical strength; research on the mechanisms of 4-META action and the biocompatibility of 4 META was excluded.