Postoperative sensitivity in posterior restorations restored with self-adhesive and conventional bulk-fill resin composites: A randomized clinical split-mouth trial

Objective: To compare the postoperative sensitivity (POS) of a self-adhesive bulk-fill resin composite with that of a conventional bulk-fill resin composite in posterior restorations. Methods: Class I and II (n = 166) cavities of at least 3 mm depth, in 83 participants were restored by: (TEST: Surefil one T Self-Adhesive bulk-fill (n = 83); and CONTROL: Filtek(TM) Bulk-Fill posterior composites (n = 83). The presence and intensity of POS associated with the restorations was evaluated at 24 h, 1 week and 1 month intervals using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Comparisons of POS presence between the two treatment groups were made using the Chi-square and Fisher exact tests, while Mann-Whitney and Friedman tests were used to compare the intensity of POS ( alpha=0.05). Results: Forty-two of participants (25.3%; 95% CI 19.3 to 32.4) reported presence of POS after 24 h and none of the participants reported POS after 1 month. The presence of POS was not significantly affected by the restorative material after 24 h, 1 week and 1 month (p>0.05). After 1 week, the participants in the Surefil one(TM) group reported significantly less intensity of POS than the participants in the Filtek T Bulk-Fill group (p = 0.02). Conclusions: The use of Surefil one(TM) self-adhesive resin composite did not significantly increase the presence of POS compared to the use of the conventional bulk-fill resin composite. However, the intensity of POS was significantly less in the Surefil one T group after one week. Clinical significance: The use of a self-adhesive bulk-fill resin composite in posterior restorations did not increase the presence of POS more than the use of a conventional bulk-fill resin composite. However, it decreased the intensity of POS after one week. This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov; the registration number is NCT05567263.