Implications of recent dental health services research on the future of operative dentistry.

Recent dental health services research has shown that restorations often last only a few years and has suggested that the compromising nature of some basic operative skills is at least partly responsible. Further, gross inconsistencies of diagnosis and treatment planning exist among dentists, leading to a considerable lack of agreement about when restorative treatment is necessary. In the interests of high-quality dental care, some of the long-standing dogma concerning restorative dental services and attitudes toward them should be questioned. At the public health level, the dental profession should strive to find ways of achieving satisfaction with less emphasis upon restoring and re-restoring teeth so that dentistry will attract the public and remain fully relevant to their needs.