Resumo

CANEPPELE, Taciana Marco Ferraz  e  BRESCIANI, Eduardo. Bulk-fill resin composites - The state-of-the-art. Rev. Assoc. Paul. Cir. Dent. [online]. 2016, vol.70, n.3, pp. 242-248. ISSN 0004-5276.

Although composite resins are widely used, their properties still require improvements for extended clinical service. The polymerization shrinkage, resulting in stress at the tooth-restoration interface, is the main characteristic to be improved. Bulk-fill or single increment composites are currently marketed and whether they can or must replace existing nanotechnology resins is still not known. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide information available on these resins, both from laboratory and clinical studies. Articles available on Pubmed from 2014 to 2016, containing studies comparing conventional and bulk-fill resins were selected, aiming to picture the current scenario of the bulk-fill composites. In vitro results show a trend of greater polymerization shrinkage and generation stress for flowable bulk-fill resins, while regular consistency bulk-fill resins present similar shrinkage and stress generation values as conventional resins. For the conversion degree, most studies reported adequate values at 4mm thickness. For the flexural strength, similar distribution is observed between inferior and similar/higher results when comparing to conventional resins. For the leakage and cusp deflection, the majority of reports present similar or superior results when compared to conventional resins. One to five-year clinical studies present similar behavior for both flowable and regular consistency bulk-fill resins in comparison to conventional ones. We conclude this "new" group of materials represents a possibility for direct restorations, especially due to simplified technique and to similar properties compared to conventional resins. At the current status, it is not known if these materials can or must replace conventional resins, thus more laboratorial and longer-term clinical studies are needed.

Palavras-chave : resin composite; mechanical properties; marginal leakage; clinical evaluation..