400 - Interim Esthetic Restorations for Carious Anterior Teeth: A Pilot Study

Abstract:

Purpose: Early childhood caries (ECC) is characterized by decayed, missing, or filled teeth in children under six years of age, often affecting primary incisors. Traditional restorative procedures for these lesions are technique sensitive and require cooperation, which can be challenging for young children. Silver diammine fluoride (SDF) can be a suitable interim treatment alternative for caries management, however, due to permanent dark staining, SDF may raise esthetic concerns. This pilot study aims to determine if strip crowns filled with resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI) are: 1) effective for caries management and 2) acceptable to parent as an esthetic, interim therapeutic restoration.

Methods: Children ages 3 to 5 years old with supragingival, multi-surface carious lesions in maxillary primary incisors were enrolled. Atraumatic restorative treatment (without local anesthesia or tooth preparation) were then done with RMGI strip crowns on one or more carious maxillary primary incisors per patient. The marginal integrity and absence of pathology of the restorations were then examined with 3, 6, and 12 month follow-up visits. Parental acceptance was evaluated through a questionnaire completed after treatment and at each follow-up visit. Data analysis will involve descriptive statistics and chi-square tests.

Results: Data collection is ongoing, with analysis expected after reaching a sample size of approximately twenty patients.

Conclusion: This study will help provide a minimally invasive alternative that is more esthetic than SDF to manage ECC in very young children.

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