Analysis of Factors Contribute to Failure of Dental Restorations and Its Impact on Patient's Life

Background: Dental restoration focuses on repairing or replacing damaged or missing teeth, but it has a limited lifespan and leads to significant health issues throughout a patient's life. This study analyzed the potential factors contributing to dental restoration failure and its impact on the patient's life. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2 hospitals, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, and Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, KPK. The study comprised 167 patients, both genders, ages 10 to 60 years. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire in 4 months and analyzed by SPSS statistics software version 29. Results: Out of 167 study participants, 70 were male, while 92 were female. The most frequently reported reason was tooth erosion (46.7%), followed by secondary caries (26.3) (p<.001), fractures (in the tooth (1.7%), and restorations (11.3%) (p<.001), resulted in dislodgment (64.6%) (p=.734) and unexpected fallout (55%) of restorations (p=.015). Females experienced a higher failure rate (58%) as compared to males (42%), leading to multiple visits and time-consuming procedures impacting patients' daily routine, work, and personal commitments, reported by (33.5%) of individuals, followed by experiencing severe pain (32.3%) and being costly (27.5%) (p=.021). Conclusion: This study in the KPK region revealed that tooth erosion, secondary caries, and fractures (both in the tooth and restorations themselves) were significant contributors to filling dislodgment and unexpected fallout, leading to the failure of restorations.