Objective Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) may be beneficial for disadvantaged populations with no or limited access to dental services. This study aimed to evaluate the survival rate of single-surface ART restorations in primary posterior teeth in children with high caries risk. Materials and Methods This study was conducted in six rural areas of the Republic of Kosovo, and 100 children aged 3 to 8 years participated in the study. Information was obtained from each parent/guardian regarding their children, such as sociodemographic characteristics, general health, dental history, dietary habits, oral hygiene, and fluoride exposure. The reduced Cariogram was used to estimate the risk of caries in the participants based on the seven factors specified in the program, and all the provided information were collected and entered in a computer program of the Cariogram. A pediatric dentist, accompanied by two assistants, performed 100 ART restorations in school settings using high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement (Fuji IX) following the nine steps of the ART procedure. The restorations were evaluated at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months using the ART restoration criteria. Statistical Analysis Percentages, mean value, standard deviation, mean interquartile range, and difference test between arithmetic mean values were used to analyze the research results. Results Review of the average of reduced Cariogram showed that the majority of children, 72%, were at high risk of developing caries, with only 28% having a good chance of avoiding caries in the future. A total of 77% of the children in the study had never visited dentists before due to poor economic conditions and the lack of dentists in the area. The success rates of ART restorations performed in single-surface cavities in primary teeth were very encouraging, with more than 97% success rates after a 1-year follow-up period. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that ART is efficient, affordable, and practical for the treatment of single-surface cavities in primary posterior teeth. Owing to its low price and atraumatic nature, ART can potentially help disadvantaged children in Kosovo access dental care.
Dental caries is one of the most prevalent multifactorial diseases in the world. In the field of dental caries manage- ment, Atraumatic Restorative Treatment is known as a minimal intervention and minimally invasive procedure and has shown to be successful in both, developed and devel- oping countries. The Atraumatic Restorative Treatment is the technique that involves removing carious tooth tissues using hand instruments only, without the use of anesthesia and electrically-driven equipment and restoring the cavity with adhesive restorative material usually a high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement. The Atraumatic Restorative Treat- ment in the single-surface restorations presented high sur- vival percentages in both primary and permanent posterior teeth, while in the multiple-surface restorations presented lower survival percentages. Researchers should focus on im- proving the materials of atraumatic restorative treatment restoration, extending the knowledge of the technique in association with pain and anxiety and encouraging the use of this approach in national oral health care systems.
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