ART and conventional root restorations in elders after 12 months

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Dentistry
• Restorative Dentistry
• Dental Public Health

Background:

• Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) is established for pediatric dental caries.
• Limited data exists on ART efficacy in older adult populations.
• Root-surface caries is prevalent in institutionalized elders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the 12-month survival rates of root restorations using ART versus conventional techniques in institutionalized elders.
• To test the hypothesis that survival rates are similar between ART and conventional root restorations.

Main Methods:

• A randomized clinical study involving 103 institutionalized elders in Hong Kong.
• Root caries lesions were treated with either conventional burs and light-cured resin-modified glass ionomer or ART hand instruments and chemically cured glass ionomer.
• Restorations were assessed for survival at 12 months.

Main Results:

• 84 conventional and 78 ART restorations were placed.
• After 12 months, 63 conventional and 59 ART restorations were reviewed.
• The 12-month survival rates were 91.7% for conventional and 87.0% for ART restorations (p > 0.05), indicating no significant difference.

Conclusions:

• Both ART and conventional root restorations demonstrate high survival rates in institutionalized elders.
• The study concludes that ART is a viable and effective alternative for treating root caries in this demographic.
• Further research could explore long-term outcomes and patient-reported measures.