The perfect filling | British Dental Journal

What makes a good filling? A study by the University of Birmingham shows that the success of a filling could be significantly affected by the patient's age, the age of the dentist and

even where the patient lives. Fillings inserted in Wales proved more long lasting than those inserted in England. Regional variations in England were less obvious, although fillings inserted

in the north of England lasted least well. Surprisingly, the presence of fluoride in water made no difference to the survival of fillings. The series of studies by Professor Trevor Burke

from the University of Birmingham's School of Dentistry and Dr Steve Lucarotti from the Dental Practice Board, Eastbourne, looked at more than 80,000 payment claims from the General

Dental Service covering over a decade of dentistry. The data were analysed to determine how long fillings survive before the next treatment, taking into account information about patients,

their dentists and the location and timing of the work. Burke's team also found that that the age of your dentist can have an impact on the quality of dental work. Fillings placed by

older dentists lasted less well than those of their younger colleagues, although the reasons for this may not be completely straightforward. There was no difference in the performance of

fillings between male and female dentists. The findings will be published as a series of articles in the _Journal of Dentistry_. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS

ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE The perfect filling. _Br Dent J_ 199, 701 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4813062 Download citation * Published: 10 December 2005 * Issue Date: 10 December

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