Clinical Significance
ART is very useful because it requires only hand instruments to achieve proper tooth preparation and causes less pain and discomfort for patients. When dealing with children whose primary molars
The wisdom of restoring cavitated primary teeth can be debated, since most studies indicate that these teeth exfoliate naturally and cause no pain or sepsis in most cases. However, in the absence of clear evidence supporting not restoring these teeth, restoration is still an option. Amalgam is considered the best material for this by many clinicians, but it requires extensive tooth preparation with rotary instruments and amalgam has been banned in many countries. Glass-ionomer cements have been
The 280 children (age 6 to 7 years) were randomly assigned to receive either conventional restorative treatment with amalgam (CRT) or ART using a high-viscosity glass-ionomer (HVGIC). A total of 364 amalgam and 386 ART restorations were done. Evaluations were conducted after 6 months and 1 and 3 years.
Gender, mean decayed-missing-filled primary teeth (dmft), mean decayed-missing-filled permanent teeth (DMFT), and type of surface had no effect on outcomes. Children who received amalgam restorations were an average of 0.2 years younger than those receiving ART restorations.
The cumulative survival rates of the two methods showed no statistically significant differences between groups. The type of surface had an effect on survival when assessed using the Proportional Hazard Rate Model, but
The cumulative survival rates of the restorations in primary molars after 3 years were essentially the same whether the conventional or ART approach was used. HVGIC, which has a higher than usual powder-to-liquid ratio, provides a good alternative to amalgam for these restorations. Clinical Significance ART is very useful because it requires only hand instruments to achieve proper tooth preparation and causes less pain and discomfort for patients. When dealing with children whose primary molars
Hilgert LA, de Amorim RG, Leal SC, et al: Is high-viscosity glass-ionomer-cement a successor to amalgam for treating primary molars? Dent Mater 30:1172-1178, 2014
Reprints available from LA Hilgert, Dept de Odontologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Univ de Brasília, 79910-900 Brasília, DF, Brazil; e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]