This article describes the mutual relations between three important dental concepts. ‘Minimal invasive dentistry’, ‘adhesive dentistry’ and the ‘dynamic treatment concept’ are concepts which have changed restorative dentistry substantially during the last decade. The ultimate goal of restorative dental care, which is the maintenance of a healthy and functional dentition for life, is unchanged and as applicable as ever. To achieve maximal results from applying minimal invasive dentistry, a clear understanding of adhesive dentistry as well as the implications and goals of the dynamic treatment concept is needed. Dentists must realize that as invasiveness of interventions is decreasing, the need for monitoring and aftercare of restorative work is increasing. It is important to involve the patient in this process by providing sufficient information and achieving informed consent.

The number of studies investigating aspects of the ART-approach has increased in recent years. This tissue preservative treatment concept appears to be less painful and is, therefore, more patient-friendly than conventional treatments. The investigations so far have shown that the ART-approach is indicated for treating single-surface cavities in both primary and permanent dentitions. There appears to be no difference in survival results between single-surface ART restorations and comparable amalgam restorations in the permanent dentition after 3 years. ART sealants using high-viscosity glass-ionomers seem to be retained longer than ART sealants using low-viscosity glass-ionomers after 3 years. The surface wear of ART restorations using high-viscosity glass-ionomers after two years is low. It can be concluded that the ART approach is beneficial in improving the oral health of many people, not only in developing but also in more advanced countries. The full benefit of the ART-approach is not yet known.

Adhesive techniques in combination with plastic materials can also be used and are less invasive than indirect restorations. Occlusal tooth wear is becoming a major problem all over the world. This paper describes minimal invasive techniques to restore tooth wear.

Today, extensive and generalized tooth wear is often a reason for restoring the occlusion. Adhesive techniques and direct composite restorations can reduce the need for more expensive indirect restorations. In this article the advantages and disadvantages of the direct and indirect techniques are discussed. Furthermore, the treatment sequence for direct restorations is described and illustrated by some case-reports.

The direct composite veneer restoration is a minimal invasive tooth-saving and relatively cheap technique suitable to improve the esthetics of the dentition in many cases. In this article factors in influencing the selection of materials are discussed. Furthermore, advantages and disadvantages of the direct composite veneer are listed and some cases are presented.

The direct composite crown is a restoration replacing the original toothcrown in form and function. It can be an alternative for indirect gold or porcelain restorations if the oral health condition is not stable, if indirect restorations require a high biological price or if financial resources are limited. The longterm durability of these restorations is still unknown. As a direct composite crown can be considered as minimally invasive and can be easily replaced by an indirect restoration if needed, there are hardly any contra-indications for its use.

This article describes the cusp-replacing adhesive restoration as a minimally invasive alternative for crowns after cuspal fracture of premolars. To demonstrate the importance of this treatment option for daily practice, the results of an incidence study of cuspal fractures are reported. Subsequently, the development of clinical guidelines and procedures as applied in a clinical study of adhesive cusp-replacing restorations are described.

The rebuilding of endodontic treated teeth is a common situation in general dental practice. The final (post-) core buildup, with or without a crown, should protect the restoration as well as the tooth against fracture, should prevent debonding of the restoration, should not permit leakage and should provide an acceptable esthetic result. Several factors influencing these properties are described. The (post-) core buildup in relation to the concept of minimally invasive dentistry is discussed. In conclusion, there is no unambiguous guideline for restoring endodontically treated teeth. Standardised in vitro and in vivo studies are needed.

Dental applications of fiber-reinforced polymers include adhesive partial dentures. Dental resin composite materials can be reinforced by several types of fibres. Fiber orientation, proper wetting of the fibers by the resin and fiber volume are important. An application of fiber reinforced composites is the composite inlay bridge. This paper deals with some aspects of this type of adhesive partial denture. Advantages include the satisfactory esthetics and the minimally invasive character. Not clear yet is the long-term survival. The adhesive properties of fiber-reinforced adhesive partial dentures require an adaptation of the current dental philosophy, in which direct and indirect restorative techniques can be combined. An increase in knowledge and experience is needed to determine the dental applications.

Since twenty years adhesive dentistry plays a certain role in the design of removable partial dentures. With the use of adhesive attachments the esthetics and retention of a removable partial denture can be improved. To apply these attachments succesfully the contour of a sound abutment has to be corrected by grinding to provide retention and resistance. The procedures for constructing removable partial dentures with adhesive attachments are described. It is recommended to apply adhesive attachments in the general dental practice.

Cataract is an opacity of the ocular lens, often occurring at mature age. Apart from ageing it can be caused by - among other things - metabolical disorders, trauma, and infrared or ultraviolet light. Globally, cataract is one of the main causes of blindness. Already for more than 2500 years cataract operations have been performed. During the last 25 years both the operation and the implantation of artificial lenses have been brought to great perfection. This means that one of the prominent spoilers of a good old age is to a large degree controllable.

On-line dental journals are more common these days. Usually only abstracts are available or the subscription to the journal is mandatory to get access to full text articles. The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry is an exception to this general rule. Articles of this journal are in full text and free of charge accessible on line.