ADHESIVE DENTAL MATERIALS - A REVIEW

The use of adhesive substances in dentistry, particularly in the resto ration of decayed teeth, is growing. Adhesive materials are also used for securing brackets to the teeth in orthodontic treatment and for lu ting the form of artificial teeth known as jacket crowns in place. In recent years, there has been considerable growth in the use of adhesiv e systems to repair teeth damaged by caries. In this application, adhe sive materials show two important advantages over traditional material s, such as silver amalgam, namely: (i) that marginal leakage is preven ted, thereby eliminating the development of secondary caries; and (ii) that adhesive materials are more clinically conservative, since they allow the dentist to repair the tooth without removing excessive amoun ts of healthy tissue. Teeth repaired in this way are stronger and more likely to last that those treated with silver amalgam fillings. Adhes ive dental materials include the glass-ionomer and zinc polycarboxylat e cements, and also the dentine bonding agents used to bond composite resin restorations to the dentine of the tooth. This article reviews t hese materials and their clinical applications and discusses likely fu ture developments in the light of the changes occurring in oral health and age distribution of the population. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd . All rights reserved.