Alternative treatment strategies for carious primary teeth: an overview of the evidence

Dental decay in children's primary teeth is a major health problem in the Great Britain with, in some areas, nearly 60% of five-year-olds having some experience of caries and 16% already having had at least one tooth extracted. Whilst currently accepted best practice for the management of carious primary teeth involves complete caries removal and placement of a plastic restoration, such conventional treatment is unpopular with general dental practitioners. Indeed, less than 15% of carious cavities in five-year-olds are currently restored and as such, there has been recent interest in alternative 'minimal intervention' treatment techniques for managing dental caries.

This review summarises the literature and also recent research efforts directed towards understanding the role of alternative treatment regimens including: (1) alternative techniques for cavity preparation and excavation and (2) the isolation of the carious process (in some cases, using cariostatic materials) from the oral environment or sealing in dental caries.