A qualitative analysis of dentists' understanding and management of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL)

Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) are considered to have a multi-factorial aetiology and their management is affected by a range of variables perhaps most importantly clinical judgement. The aim of this study was to elicit information from practicing dentists, using interviews, to explore their understanding of NCCL aetiology, the decision-making criteria of when to restore, and the restorative techniques used to restore NCCLs. This may help identify gaps or anomalies in our understanding to inform future research and clinical practice for the management of NCCLs.

An interview guide was developed from a literature search which formed 2 domains framed around understanding and management of NCCLs based on: understanding of diagnosis and aetiology, and factors affecting decision making for management. Practicing dentists with more than 10 years of experience were purposively recruited to conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Fifteen interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic content analysis was conducted and the results analysed.

From the thematic analysis, 2 domains were identified. In the domain of "diagnosis and aetiology", while participants have similar understanding and methods of diagnosing NCCL, most stated NCCLs in a patient were caused by a "main aetiology" such as "abrasion", "abfraction" while few described the inter-relationship of these aetiological factors. In the domain of "factors affecting decision making". "Patient reported symptoms" and "lesion dimension" were the main factors that affected participants' decision to provide restorative or non-restorative management. However, a "restorative threshold" was not able to be identified.

There was notable variety in participants' understanding of the aetiology, management, and treatment of NCCLs, particularly the restorative threshold of when to treat.

The variability demonstrates the need to have a clearer understanding of the key elements that affect the management of NCCLs and better information to support the decision of when to treat.