Glass hybrid technology: An alternative to dental amalgam

Search Dental Tribune

Finding an alternative to amalgam through glass hybrid technology

The speakers at GC’s symposium during the Oral Health Research Congress. (Image: GC Corp.)
GC

GC

Mon. 18. November 2019

save

MADRID, Spain: The phase-down of amalgam is currently taking place, and many dental practitioners are still seeking a viable alternative. In this regard, the glass hybrids EQUIA Forte and EQUIA Forte HT from GC Corp. have many advantages to offer. To share the latest insights into the technology of these materials, GC Europe organised a symposium during the Oral Health Research Congress presented by the Continental European Division and Scandinavian Division of the International Association for Dental Research, held in Madrid from 19 to 21 September.

More than 120 people attended the symposium, which was chaired by Prof. Avijit Banerjee from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at King’s College London. The high level of participation made it clear that there is still considerable interest in viable amalgam alternatives that are minimally invasive as well as easy to use.

Prof. Falk Schwendicke, Deputy Head of the Department of Operative and Preventive Dentistry at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany, presented the opening lecture of the symposium. Schwendicke emphasised how, in this post-amalgam era, different policies are in place. According to him, the main pillar of dentistry will be prevention and several alternative materials will have to be used to meet postoperative outcomes.

The second speaker was Prof. Ivana Miletić from the Department of Endodontics and Restorative Dentistry at the University of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine in Croatia. She presented the results of her two-year multicentre clinical study with EQUIA Forte, the first glass hybrid from GC. After two years, EQUIA Forte showed a similar clinical performance to nano-hybrid composites in moderate to large two-surface (Class II) cavities. The three-year assessment is currently being conducted, and early outcomes appear promising, according to Miletić.

Prof. Marco Ferrari from the Department of Medical Biotechnologies at the University of Siena in Italy also spoke at the symposium. Ferrari focused on the clinical indications of glass hybrid materials, their physical and mechanical properties, their clinical application and the expected longevity of glass hybrid restorations. He underlined the many advantages of glass hybrids for clinicians and patients, such as cost-efficiency, easy handling and durability.

Overall, the symposium highlighted that, in the search for amalgam alternatives, new restorative materials that can be trusted to deliver easy handling and durability are in high demand. The glass hybrids EQUIA Forte and EQUIA Forte HT possess the same key benefits that made amalgam so important in the past: durable restorations can be made in a fast and easy manner, enabling the dentist to provide good care to all of his or her patients.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

advertisement
advertisement