A new study, led by dentists from the Universities of Dundee, Newcastle, Sheffield, Cardiff, Queen Mary University of London and Leeds in the UK, has concluded that conventional fillings are no more effective than dealing decay into teeth or using prevention techniques.
Reported by Medical News: Life Sciences, the three-year study in which 1140 children aged between three and seven took part, determined that 450 of the participants experienced tooth decay and pain "regardless of which kind of dental treatment they received."
Professor Nicola Innes, Chair of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Dundee and lead author on the paper noted that:
"Our study shows that each way of treating decay worked to a similar level but that children who get tooth decay at a young age have a high chance of experiencing toothache and abscesses regardless of the way the dentist manages the decay.
"What is absolutely clear from our trial is that the best way to manage tooth decay is not by drilling it out or sealing it in - it's by preventing it in the first place."
Echoing these findings, Professor Anne Maguire, Chair of Preventive Dentistry at Newcastle University and one of the co-chief investigators said that the report has "focused attention again on the need to prevent dental decay before it begins but also provided some reassurance that if decay does develop in a child's mouth, there are a number of treatment options available which can be tailored to the clinical and behavioral needs of an individual child."
For the full story, go to "A dentist's drill may not be the best way to manage tooth decay in children"
