Clinical trials with nanoparticle composite in posterior teeth: a systematic literature review

Aim: The aim of this article is to evaluate clinical trials with nanoparticle composite in posterior teeth through a systematic review of the literature.
Methods: This analysis includes controlled clinical trials with nanoparticle composites, with at least 6 months of evaluation, published in the English language between 1997 and 2009. In vitro and retrospective studies and studies on anterior teeth were excluded. Articles were retrieved from the following full-text electronic journal databases: MEDLINE, LILACS and The Cochrane Library.
Results: The largest number of articles was found in the MEDLINE database, but only 4 of them met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. No articles were found in the LILACS database; only two articles were selected from The Cochrane Library databases and they coincided with those already included in MEDLINE.
Conclusions: The nanoparticle composites give a satisfactory performance for use in posterior teeth for at least 2 years of functional activity, but their performance was not superior to that of the other composites. Long-term studies must be conducted to evaluate the performance after 2 years of functional activity. New controlled and randomized clinical trials are necessary.