Abstract:Objective To compare the therapeutic effects of light-cured composite resin and glass ionomer in the restoration of wedge-shaped defects.Methods A total of 118 patients with wedge-shaped defects who received treatment in our hospital from January 2021 to June 2025 were selected as the research subjects. All patients were divided into the control group and the observation group by random number table method, with 59 cases in each group. The control group was treated with glass ionomer restoration, while the observation group was treated with light-cured composite resin restoration. Six months after treatment, the microleakage of the two groups was evaluated, the levels of inflammatory factors in gingival crevicular fluid and periodontal status before treatment and 6 months after treatment were compared, the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to assess dental function, and the occurrence of complications was recorded.Results the observation group having lower microleakage grades than the control group. The post-treatment levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and MMP-8 in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P 0.05). Within the same group, the post-treatment levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and MMP-8 were lower than the pre-treatment levels (P 0.05). The post-treatment PD, GI, and SBI in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P 0.05). Within the same group, the post-treatment PD, GI, and SBI were lower than the pre-treatment levels (P 0.05). The post-treatment scores for pain and discomfort, functional limitation, psychological disability, and physical disability in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P 0.05). Within the same group, the post-treatment scores for pain and discomfort, functional limitation, psychological disability, and physical disability were lower than the pre-treatment scores (P 0.05). In the control group, there were 2 cases of filling discoloration, 3 cases of secondary periodontitis, 2 cases of dentin hypersensitivity, and 3 cases of restoration fracture. In the observation group, there were 1 case of filling discoloration, 1 case of secondary periodontitis, 2 cases of dentin hypersensitivity, and 1 case of restoration fracture. Comparison of the total incidence of complications between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference (P 0.05).Conclusion In the restoration of non-carious cervical lesions, light-cured composite resin demonstrates superiority over glass ionomer in terms of reducing microleakage, alleviating local periodontal inflammatory response, improving periodontal clinical indicators, and enhancing patients' subjective oral health experience, with comparable safety profiles between the two materials. Therefore, for cases where aesthetic, functional, and long-term sealing performance are of high priority, light-cured composite resin can be preferentially considered.