TL;DR: A survey of all 10 Canadian dental schools, published online in the Journal of Dentistry on October 17, 2026, found that every school performs repairs of defective composite restorations and 70% teach repair in undergraduate clinical training. Technique teaching varies from school to school, and the authors call for harmonised teaching of composite repair across Canada.
Repair or replace? Every general dentist faces that question with defective composite restorations, and the answer shapes how much sound tooth structure a patient keeps over a lifetime. As of October 2026, there is new Canada-specific data on how the next generation of dentists is being taught to make that call. A study in the Journal of Dentistry surveyed every Canadian dental school on how it teaches the repair of defective composite restorations.
What did the study look at?
The paper, "Repair versus Replacement of Defective Composite Restorations: Teaching in Dental Schools in Canada," was first published online on October 17, 2026. It has 12 authors from several countries. The first author, U. Daood, is listed with the School of Dentistry at IMU University in Kuala Lumpur, and the author list includes T. Konanec of the McGill University Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences in Montreal.
The authors describe the work as a cross-sectional study using a validated questionnaire. The questionnaire covered both preclinical and clinical instruction, the number and duration of teaching modules, teaching logistics, clinical requirements and teaching challenges. According to the abstract, all 10 Canadian dental schools responded, a 100% response rate.
What did Canadian dental schools report?
The headline result is consistent: all 10 schools confirmed they perform composite restoration repairs to extend clinical service. Beyond that, practice and teaching diverge.
- 70% of schools currently teach repair techniques in undergraduate clinical training.
- 20% plan to introduce repair teaching within five years.
- 100% of schools noted that patients are willing to accept repairs.
The schools also differ on what a repair actually is. Seventy percent view repair as a definitive treatment, 10% see it as temporary and 20% see it as transitional. In other words, Canadian schools do not yet share a single view of where a repair sits in a treatment plan.
Why do schools teach repair?
According to the study, the primary reasons schools give for teaching repairs include tooth preservation, pulp protection, marginal defects and secondary caries.
The authors tie this to a broader principle in their conclusion: teaching composite repair supports minimally invasive dentistry by promoting preservation of sound tooth structure and reducing unnecessary restoration replacement.
How do schools teach the technique?
The survey found agreement on some steps and a split on others.
- Isolation: 70% teach rubber dam isolation for repairs.
- Instruments: 70% use diamond finishing instruments.
- Bonding: 60% use phosphoric acid etching, adhesive bonding and nano-filled composites.
- Bevelling and follow-up: in the authors' words, most schools (60%) "do not teach bevelling or review repaired restorations."
The last point stands out. Where a review of repaired restorations is not part of teaching, recall visits in private practice may become the main place where the long-term performance of repairs gets noticed.
Pro Tip: If your practice repairs composites, chart each repair as a repair, with the surface and date, so you and your associates can see how those restorations perform at each recall. It turns everyday practice into useful feedback.
What does this mean for practices in Ontario?
The study's findings describe teaching, not practice standards. Still, they matter for practice owners across Toronto and the GTA in a few practical ways.
New associates may arrive with different habits
With 70% of schools teaching repair clinically, others planning to, and schools split on whether a repair is definitive, temporary or transitional, associates trained at different Canadian schools may not approach defective composites the same way. Practices in Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan or North York that hire across several schools may see both approaches under one roof. A short conversation during onboarding about how your practice handles defective composites can prevent mixed messages to patients.
Schools report that patients accept repairs
Every school surveyed noted patient willingness to accept repairs. For practices, that puts the focus on clinical judgement, documentation and how the option is explained.
Harmonisation may be coming
The authors argue that arrangements to harmonise the teaching of composite repair across Canada and beyond would benefit patients and students. If that happens, it would most likely show up first in curricula. Practices may notice it later, as graduates arrive with more consistent training.
Pro Tip: When you present a repair, explain to the patient why you are choosing it: what is defective, what sound tooth structure you are keeping, and how you will monitor it at recall. Then document that conversation.
Sources
- Daood U, Malik NA, Sidhu P, Masood A, Konanec T, Tezvergil A, Bijle MN, Sheikh Z, Wilson NHF, Lynch CD, Waeli HA, Blum IR. "Repair versus Replacement of Defective Composite Restorations: Teaching in Dental Schools in Canada." Journal of Dentistry, first published online October 17, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jdent.2026.107119 (PMID 42892357; record via Europe PMC)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do Canadian dental schools teach composite restoration repair?
Most do. A survey of all 10 Canadian dental schools, published in the Journal of Dentistry in 2026, found that 70% teach repair techniques in undergraduate clinical training and another 20% plan to introduce them within five years. All 10 schools perform composite repairs.
Q: Is repairing a composite filling a permanent treatment?
Canadian schools disagree. In the same survey, 70% of schools view repair as a definitive treatment, 10% as temporary and 20% as transitional.
Q: Why repair a composite restoration instead of replacing it?
The schools surveyed cited tooth preservation, pulp protection, marginal defects and secondary caries as the main reasons for teaching repair. The authors conclude that teaching composite repair supports minimally invasive dentistry by promoting preservation of sound tooth structure and reducing unnecessary replacement.
EBIKO Dental will continue monitoring Canadian dental education and research and will report on any national moves to harmonise composite repair teaching. For more Canadian dental news, visit EBIKO Dental.