RESUMEN
Teaching of repair versus replacement of defective direct composite restorations [DCRs] is a clinical concern that has not been studied among Iranian restorative dentistry specialists. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the aspects of restorative dentistry specialists regarding the teaching of repair as a conservative alternative to the replacement of DCRs in Iranian dental schools. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a 14-item questionnaire was mailed to 126 restorative dentistry specialists participating at in 18 dental schools. Most of the questions were about implementation of the repair versus replacement, success rate of repair, the teaching repair and replacement of defective DCRs and the longevity of repaired restorations. Data was reported by descriptive statistic. The response rate was 86 [68.3%]; the majority [90.7%] of the specialists was implemented repair of defective composite resin, but only 9.3% of them were preferred replacement. Sixty-one [70.9%] of the respondents reported that they taught undergraduate students repair techniques as an alternative to replacing defective DCRs; 51 [59.3%] and 42 [48.8%] of them were teaching the practical and theoretical of repair techniques at the clinical level; the reasons for these approaches in order of frequency were tooth structure preservation, reduction of potentially harmful effects on the pulp, reduction in treatment time and cost. Based on the results, the repair of defective DCRs syllabus has been extensively taught in the Iranian dental schools. Most of the restorative dentistry specialists considered the repair of these restorations as a definitive measure and reported that the repaired DCRs have a longevity of 4.5 years