Introduction: The choice of restorative materials has for a long time been determined by the tooth position. Thus, premolar restoration depended on the practitioner's clinical assessment and practical experience in regard to the material to be handled. Aim: The objective of this study was to assess, in the students' practice, the change in the choice of materials used for premolars restoration. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study based on the available care records in the department of conservative dentistry and endodontics of a dental school. Variables analyzed included the year of restoration, the type of material, the premolar position in the arch, and the coronal restoration site (occlusal, proximal, and cervical). Data collected were processed with the SPSS software version 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA; 2013). The statistical significance threshold was set at 5% for Pearson's Chi-square test. Results: Between 1994 and 2017, 1738 restored premolars were identified. Over the years, amalgam restorations declined from 99.2% in 1994 to 1.3% in 2017, contrary to composite whose frequency increased from 0.6% to 88.6%. Maxillary premolars were exclusively restored with composite in 2017 when amalgam was still, somewhat, used for mandibular premolars. Conclusion: The reversal in the choice of materials in favor of composites reflects the global trend. This seems to be related to the current awareness of the prohibition, among others, of medical devices containing mercury.

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Dental amalgam and adhesive materials (composite resin and glass ionomer cement) are commonly used for occluso-functional and esthetic teeth rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to assess direct posterior coronal restorative materials used by 19 students' clinicians' classes. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was carried out to collect from students' performed care records the different types of restorations' data from 1994 to 2016. The choice of materials is estimated according to education levels [1 st year Master (M1), 2 nd year Master (M2) 1 st year Doctorate (D1)]. The collected data was processed with SPSS software. Pearson chi-square test was used to compare qualitative variables and the significance threshold set at 5%. Results: From 1994 to 2016, there were 11 registers recording 19 students' classes distributed according to education levels. In all, 6,033 posterior teeth procedures were performed on 3,134 patients. These restorations refer to 73.4% of molars and 26.6% of premolars. In 1994, the amalgam was used for 99.86% and adhesive materials for 0.14%. However, in 2016, these same materials were frequently used in 78.86% to 21.14% for the amalgam. Between the first year of Master (M1) and the last year (D1), the use of amalgam declines over the years while that of adhesive materials increases. Conclusion:It seems, in recent years, that under the influence of educational approaches centered on adhesive materials, youngest practitioners are using composite resin more for posterior restorations compared with senior practitioners.

The amalgam, a material that has been used for more than 150 years for posterior teeth restoration, has been controversial because of the poisoning risk related to its mercury-content. Its manipulation exposes the practitioner and his staff members to chronic mercury poisoning, which causes some pathologies. It is, therefore, less often used or even abandoned in developed countries. However, in Côte d'Ivoire, it remains the material of choice for posterior restorations for its mechanical properties and relatively low cost. This study aimed to analyze mercury vapor levels measurement within dental clinics. The study involved forty-six dental clinics in the district of Abidjan using exclusively or not the amalgam. A spectrophotometer, Lumex, was used to measure mercury vapor at two levels (garbage cans and ambient air) at the opening of dental offices’ doors. Ten measurements equally spaced by ten seconds were done for each level. The data were analyzed using the SPSS and the Student test as a statistical test. Very high levels of mercury vapors have been recorded in 3/4 of dental clinics using exclusively or not the amalgam compared to the WHO threshold value (999ng/m3), whatever the measured level.: Mercury poisoning remains a reality within dental clinics in Abidjan.

Longer lifespans and advances in medicine have been matched by an increase in the prevalence of patients at risk of infection who are likely to receive endodontic treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of Abidjan practitioners about the current guidelines for the management of cardiopathic patients during endodontic treatment. This is a descriptive cross-sectional survey, which involved interviewing 145 dentists. The questions focused on the different types of heart disease and the indications or contraindications of endodontic therapy for the treatment of irreversible pulpitis. The questionnaire was calibrated and validated by the Scientific Committee of the Faculty of Odontostomatology in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). More than 50% of practitioners are unaware of the contraindications for endodontic treatment in the cardiopath. When endodontic treatment is indicated, practitioners do not apply recommendations such as treatment in one session (more than 50%), and antibiotic prophylaxis limited to 1h before treatment (75.17%). Finally, 26.21% of respondents do not find it necessary to establish a dialogue with the general practitioner. A low level of knowledge of the current guidelines was found among Abidjan dentists. Therefore, attempts should be made to teach the current guidelines in Abidjan undergraduate/postgraduate dental education.