Hall Crown Technique Use Among USA Pediatric Dentists

Purpose: To examine the provider acceptance and clinical usage of the Hall technique (HT) among active pediatric dental members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry ([AAPD] pediatric dentist member). Methods: A 19-item web-based survey was distributed to all AAPD pediatric dentist members using Qualtrics^®. This survey-based questionnaire was available from January 2024 to March 2024, included questions regarding demographics, and explored various clinical scenarios and the likelihood of a clinician to utilize the HT. Results: Of 6,960 emailed surveys, 520 completed surveys (eight percent) were analyzed. Fifty-one percent of AAPD pediatric dentist members consider HT only as an alternative option when unable to provide a conventional restoration. Providers were most likely to use HT on interproximal cavitated caries lesions (P<0.001), and were more likely to place HT crowns on patients with a Frankl 1-2 compared to a Frankl 3-4 behavior score, regardless of tooth type (P<0.001). Younger pediatric dentists were more likely to treatment plan HT crowns (P<0.05). Conclusions: Most AAPD pediatric dental members prefer to place a conventional restoration rather than a HT stainless steel crown. There is an increased likelihood among providers to plan for the HT when the patient demonstrates poor behavior and is reluctant to treatment. Younger pediatric dentists are more likely to use the HT.