Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 7

A 3-year scientific trial 1 compared different treatment options, randomly assigned to participants, for dental caries in children’s first teeth. Participants were 1,140 children in the United Kingdom between the ages of 3 and 7 with visible dental caries. Treating DentalCaries inChildren Nicola Innes, PhD, BDS, BSc, BMSc, chair of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Dundee Treatment option 1: Prevention of new dental caries and arrest of existing dental caries by reducing sugar intake, twice-daily brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, application of fluoride varnish and fissure sealants on first permanent molars. No fillings or crowns. Treatment option 2: Drilling out dental caries, based upon standard "drill and fill" practice of the last 50 years, plus preventive treatments. Treatment option 3: Dental caries was sealed-in under a metal crown, sealant or a filling to stop progression of dental caries, plus preventive treatments. Results: The trial found no evidence that conventional fillings were more effective in stopping pain or further decay than sealing in or using prevention alone. All three treatment options presented similar likelihoods of dental pain and infection, which was experienced by about half of the participants after treatment. We thought there would be more difference between the arms. Usually studies look at the success or failure of treatment of caries in a single tooth. S upporting Y our P ractice 34 | 2020 | Issue 7