The ultimate guide to restoration longevity in England and Wales. Part 9: incisor teeth: restoration time to next intervention and to extraction of the restored tooth.

Aim: It is the aim of this paper to present data on the survival of restorations in incisor teeth by analysis of the time to re-intervention on the restorations and time to extraction of the restored incisor tooth, and to discuss the factors which may influence this.

Methods: A data set was established, consisting of General Dental Services patients, this being obtained from all records for adults (aged 18 or over at date of acceptance) in the GDS of England and Wales between 1990 and 2006. The data consist of items obtained from the payment claims submitted by GDS dentists to the Dental Practice Board (DPB) in Eastbourne, Sussex, UK. This study examined the recorded intervals between placing a restoration in an incisor tooth and re-intervention on the tooth, and the time to extraction of the restored tooth.

Results: Data for more than three million different patients and more than 25 million courses of treatment were included in the analysis. Overall, 2,526,576 restorations of incisor teeth in adults were included. At 15 years, survival of restorations in incisor teeth without re-intervention was 35%, and for restored incisor teeth survival to extraction was 81%.

Conclusions: Approximately 35% of restorations in incisor teeth survived without re-intervention at 15 years, and 81% of restored incisor teeth survived for 15 years without extraction. Factors influencing survival include patient age, dentist age, and patient treatment need. Crowning an incisor tooth leads to an earlier time to extraction of the restored tooth.