Bonding of teeth.

Discolouration and altered morphology of teeth are clinical problems commonly presented by patients seeking dental treatment. These patients usually complain of poor dental aesthetics, impaired speech as well as adverse psychological effect. Recent advances in the development of tooth-coloured materials, techniques in the application of these materials and treatment of tooth surfaces to accept and retain such materials have made it possible for the aforesaid dental conditions to be corrected by the process of bonding tooth-coloured materials to the teeth affected. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of bonding these new materials to tooth structure. 60 patients were selected with spacing of teeth ranging from 0.5-3.0 mm in width. Using the acid-etch regime, the tooth surface was prepared to receive a composite material which was applied with light-polymerisation equipment. The clinical evaluation of retention was made after 1, 6, 12 and 24 months. The results showed that overall 89.2% of the composite restoration were still bonded to tooth structure after a 2-year period. This may be seen as a favourable success rate which could be improved with further material and technique advancement. The implications are discussed.