A 4 year follow‐up study of alveolar bone height influenced by two dissimilar Class II amalgam restorations

Summary Fifty‐four paired, approximal amalgam fillings, extended (E) versus unextended (NE) were placed in forty‐three patients and followed up to 4 years. Yearly measurements between the alveolar crest and (a) the apical margin of the fillings (E, NE), and (b) the cemento‐enamel junction of the control group, were performed using bite‐wing radiographs joined to a translucent grid magnified ten‐fold. The rate of alveolar crest resorption was similar for the control (C) and the unextended filling (NE) and reached 0.45 mm after 4 years of follow‐up. The resorption of the alveolar crest under the extended (E) filling was significantly higher and reached 0.80 mm after 4 years ( P <0.001).