There is a lack of consensus concerning the management of intruded permanent teeth. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of resorption for intruded permanent teeth and to establish the effect of factors on the timing, prevalence and rate of resorption and to examine the relationship between the timing of onset and the subsequent rate of resorption. Sixty-one intruded permanent incisors treated at the Paediatric Dentistry units in Belfast and Newcastle upon Tyne, during the period 1990-99 with a minimum follow-up period of 1.5 years, were studied. The timing and presence of resorption and its rate of occurrence over time were set as the principal outcomes. There was a significantly earlier onset and higher prevalence of resorption in more severely intruded teeth (P< 0.05). There was also a significant relationship between the degree of apical development and resorption with an increased prevalence in the more fully developed roots (P< 0.001). Resorption was detected significantly earlier in teeth with higher rates of resorption (P< 0.05). However, the treatment method did not significantly affect the prevalence or rate of resorption. In conclusion, the occurrence of root resorption after intrusive trauma appears to be related to the severity of the original injury and the stage of root development rather than the repositioning procedure.

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• Caries is the main reason for the extraction of first permanent molars in children.• Children who are attending dental hospitals for extraction of first permanent molars tend to be older than the optimal age for achieving space closure.• There is a need for guidelines advising primary care dentists when to refer children for the extraction of fi rst permanent molars.• This study highlights the need for extensive prevention programmes targeted at those children with high caries risk.Extraction of first permanent molar teeth: results from three dental hospitals The main reason for extraction was caries with poor prognosis (70%); molar incisor hypomineralisation was the reason for extraction in 11% of cases. General anaesthesia was the main anaesthetic method used in 77%, 55%, and 47% of cases in Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffi eld respectively. Sixty-eight percent of cases had not received previous treatment for the FPMs and 5% had fissure sealants detected. Forty percent of children had had previous extractions. Conclusion The children who are attending the hospitals for extrac tion of FPMs tend to be older than the recommended age for achieving spontaneous space closure. This study highlights the need for extensive prevention programs targeted at those children with high caries risk.

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A variety of educational approaches exist within U.K. dental schools, and institutions are constantly striving to improve the quality of their graduates. This study aimed to evaluate the self-reported confidence in, and clinical exposure to, paediatric dentistry at three U.K. dental schools (Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield) over a three year period. Seventy-five percent of final year BDS undergraduates at the three dental schools completed an anonymous questionnaire capturing student self-reported clinical experience in seven core paediatric dentistry treatment skills, both in hospital and outreach settings. Visual analogue scales were used to record self-assessed confidence levels in aspects of paediatric dentistry and students were also asked to provide a written reflection of both their hospital and outreach placements. The results revealed that despite the variety of educational approaches taken, undergraduates reported very similar levels of clinical experience and confidence. Significant interschool differences in student experience were found with respect to the management of carious primary molars, believed to be a result of individual schools favouring different treatment regimes. Although outreach placements were seen as essential for gaining adequate student experience, the need to improve the consistency of teaching between hospital and outreach centres was highlighted. The study also emphasises the need to take care when using clinical targets in undergraduate teaching and identifies the potential benefits of undergraduate training in inhalation sedation. Finally, despite changes to the paediatric programmes with respect to dental trauma management, students remained lacking in confidence suggesting the need for further development.

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The quality assurance of undergraduate dental education in the UK is regulated by the General Dental Council (GDC), which has a statutory obligation to ensure a high standard of dental education and training. 1 The main concern of the GDC is that an undergraduate dental curriculum meets the required standard in order to graduate undergraduate dental students who are eligible to apply