Restorative treatment decisions on approximal caries in Norway

A random sample of dentists in Norway were asked which radiographic criterion for assessing the initiation of restorative treatment of approximal caries they would use, and which type of cavity preparation and filling material they would prefer for a distal lesion on an upper second premolar. Only 19 per cent stated that they would treat approximal lesions confined to enamel, with 81 per cent opting to wait until lesions had reached dentine, compared with 66 per cent in a similar study performed in 1983. The tunnel preparation was cited most often as the preparation of choice (47.3 per cent), while 28.2 per cent preferred traditional class II preparations and 24.3 per cent a saucer shaped preparation. Only 15.5 per cent of the dentists chose amalgam as the restorative, 15.8 per cent composite, 22.3 per cent a conventional glass ionomer cement, 7.2 per cent a resin modified glass ionomer cement and 22.4 per cent a combination of glass ionomer and composite. There has been a shift in operative treatment criteria among the majority of dentists in Norway from 1983 to 1995, with most now waiting until the lesion is diagnosed in dentine radiographically before restoring. Most dentists prefer new preparation techniques for approximal caries using tooth coloured materials. Only every fifth dentist has amalgam as a first choice for approximal restorations in the posterior region.