Dental restoration longevity among geriatric and adult special needs patients

This study aimed to describe the survival trajectory of dental restorations placed in an outpatient population of geriatric and adult special needs patients over a 15-year span, with particular interest in longevity of subsequent restorations in teeth that received multiple restorations over time. Dental restorations of different types and sizes in patients age ≥65 years treated between 2000-14 at the University of Iowa, College of Dentistry were followed until they incurred an event (i.e., restoration replacement, extraction of the tooth, or endodontic treatment of the tooth). Survival analysis and extended Cox regression models were used to generate hazards ratios for selected predictor variables. A total of 9184 restorations were followed in 1551 unique patients. During the follow-up period, 28.7% of these restorations incurred an event; and overall the restorations had a median lifespan of 6.25 years. In multivariable regression models, after controlling for gender and age, composite restorations and greater number of restoration surfaces were associated with higher risks of failure; and the initial restoration recorded in the database for each subject tended to have lower risk of failure than restorations placed later that included any of those same surfaces. This information potentially could be helpful to elderly patients considering various restorative treatment options during the dental treatment planning and informed consent process.