Minimally invasive management of dental caries: Contemporary teaching of posterior resin-based composite placement in U.S. and Canadian dental schools

Background: Resin-based composites are an increasingly popular material for restoring posterior teeth, permitting minimally invasive cavity preparations and esthetic restorations. The authors investigated current teaching of the placement of posterior resin-based composites in U.S. and Canadian dental schools. Methods: In late 2009 and early 2010, the authors, with the assistance of the Consortium of Operative Dentistry Educators (CODE), invited 67 dental schools to participate in an Internetbased survey. Results: The response rate was 73 percent. Although all schools taught the placement of resin-based composites in occlusal and most occlusoproximal cavities, eight schools (16 percent) did not teach placement of three-surface occlusoproximal resin-based composite restorations in permanent molars. Resin-based composites accounted for 49 percent of direct posterior restorations placed by dental students in 2009 and 2010, a 30 percent increase from 2005. Conclusions: Teaching placement of posterior resin-based composites continues to increase in dental schools in the United States and Canada, with predoctoral students gaining, on average, an equal amount of experience placing posterior resin-based composites and amalgams in terms of numbers of restorations. Clinical Implications: Evidence-based, up-to-date teaching programs, including those in operative dentistry, are needed to best prepare students for careers in dentistry.