The use of aesthetic paediatric full coverage restorations among paediatric dental practitioners: an international survey

Despite the recent growing evidence in support of prefabricated zirconia crown use as a successful option in managing grossly carious anterior and posterior primary teeth, the use of such crowns remains controversial within the paediatric dental profession. This study aims to assess the use of aesthetic full coverage paediatric restorations among paediatric dentists worldwide, with emphasis on aesthetic prefabricated zirconia crowns. This was an online cross-sectional survey questionnaire study comprising of 38 multiple-choice questions disseminated worldwide through the contact lists of national, regional and international paediatric dental organisations and social media platforms. The survey was completed by 556 respondents thus achieving power, with 391 (70.3%) females and 165 (29.7%) males. The respondents were from 55 different countries spread across six continents. The use of aesthetic full coverage restorations was reported by 80% (n = 444) of the respondents. For restoring anterior teeth, participants mainly used either composite strip crowns (94.4%, n = 419) or zirconia crowns (73.6%, n = 327), while those who used aesthetic crowns for restoring posterior teeth mainly used zirconia crowns (68.2%, n = 303). Within the limitations of this study, the results have shown a wide use of full coverage aesthetic restorations, including the use of zirconia crowns, of primary teeth within this international sample of practicing dentists.Scopu

Use of the Hall technique by specialist paediatric dentists: a global perspective.

Background The Hall technique (HT) is popular with UK paediatric dentists (PDs). Global PDs perception/use of HT is unknown.Aim To investigate global PDs opinions/use of HT.Materials and methods A cross-sectional questionnaire of 26 questions was sent to specialist PDs across the globe.Results Responses of 709 PDs from six continents were obtained. The majority (n = 654, 92.32%) had heard about HT but only 50.6% (n = 358) used it, with wide country variations. Respectively, 37.5%, 31.5% and 31% were neutral, against or supportive of HT when they initially heard about it. Only 17% of HT users said it was always the treatment of choice for non-pulpal asymptomatic carious primary molars (NPACPMs), 62% would take a pre-operative radiograph, 65% would consider using high speed drills before HT, 63% would never consider HT under general anaesthesia, 56% would use HT under N2O sedation. Finally, in a clinical scenario of a NPACPM in a cooperative 6-year-old, 75% of PDs would choose conventional restorative methods over the HT.Conclusion The HT is recognised, but not used, by an outright majority of PDs across the globe. Identifiable barriers such as lack of training, perception as substandard dentistry and perceived lack of evidence reduced its use

Prevalence of oral lesions among Jordanian children

Introduction: Prevalence studies on oral lesions in children are scarce, and none of them was conducted in Jordan. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions among Jordanian children. Materials and Methods: A stratified cluster random sampling technique was used to select a sample of first and sixth-grade school children. Systematic oral examination was performed using natural light, and lesions were diagnosed based on the clinical diagnostic criteria proposed by the WHO. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data were analyzed using Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test where appropriate. Results: The study included 1366 school children (639 [46.8%] males and 727 [53.2%] females) of whom 620 (45.4%) were 6-year-old and 746 (54.6%) were 12-year-old. The prevalence of oral lesions among children was 47.4%, without a significant difference in prevalence between males (46.6%) and females (47%). Prevalence was significantly higher in 12-year-old children (50%) compared to 6-year-old children (44.2%; P = 0.032). The most commonly diagnosed lesions were racial pigmentation (16.8%), fissured tongue (14.6%), and hematoma (5.3%). Discussion: Oral mucosal lesions are common in children in general, with no overall preference to gender, but the prevalence increases significantly with age. General dental practitioners and pediatric dentists should be aware of the common oral mucosal lesions in their communities for optimum diagnosis, management, and possible prevention. Conclusions: Oral lesions are common among Jordanian children and dentists should be aware of their diagnosis and management