Bulk-Fill Resins versus Conventional Resins: An Umbrella Review
Gonçalo Silva, Carlos Miguel Marto, Inês Amaro, Ana Coelho, José Sousa, Manuel Marques Ferreira, Inês Francisco, Francisco Vale, Bárbara Oliveiros, Eunice Carrilho, Anabela Paula
Abstract
Currently, composite resins have become the material of choice for the restoration of posterior teeth. Although bulk-fill resins represent a tempting alternative due to their lower complexity and faster use, some dentists are reluctant to use this material. The objective is to compare the performance of bulk-fill resins and conventional resins in direct restorations of posterior teeth based on the literature. The databases that were used to carry out the research were PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library and the WOS. This umbrella literature review complies with PRISMA standards and assesses the quality of studies using the AMSTAR 2 tool. With the application of the criteria of the AMSTAR 2 tool, the reviews were considered low to moderate. The overall meta-analysis, although without statistical significance, favours mostly the use of conventional resin, as it is about five times more likely to obtain a favourable result than bulk-fill resin. Bulk-fill resins result in a simplification of the clinical process of posterior direct restorations, which is an advantage. The performance in terms of several properties of bulk-fill resins and conventional resins showed that they present similar behaviour.