Decision‐making and treatment with respect to surgical intervention in the context of a European Core Curriculum in Cariology

Abstract

This paper is part of a series of papers towards a European Core Curriculum in Cariology for undergraduate dental students. The European Core Curriculum in Cariology is the outcome of a process starting in 2006 and culminating in a joint workshop of the European Organisation for Caries Research (ORCA) together with the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) which was held in Berlin from 27 to 30 June 2010. The present paper covers decision‐making and treatment with respect to surgical intervention. In particular, it will provide some background information on this part of the European Core Curriculum. Undergraduate dental education should enable the student to become a competent, skilful and caring dentist who is able, upon graduation, to take professional responsibility for diagnosis, as well as effective safe, and long‐lasting care in the best interests of the patient. With respect to decision‐making around surgical intervention for dental caries, several factors have to be considered. These include, patient needs, preventive strategies, tooth preservation, caries management success and failure rates, as well as short‐term and long‐term treatment costs. With respect to surgical intervention, manual skills at a high level are required. This is of crucial importance for the graduating dentist allowed to practise denistry in many EU countries.

Decision‐making and preventive non‐surgical therapy in the context of a European Core Curriculum in Cariology

“…Assimilation of general and tooth-specific information and integration of the best evidence is a complex process, and it goes without saying that obtaining, filtering and understanding scientific information are part of the process. Making a prognosis by judging the possible outcomes of a non-operative approach and scheduling appropriate recall periods allow dentist and patient to reappraise the clinical situation and outcome of a preventive approach and can redirect parts of the patient's treatment plan towards restorative treatment at the right moment if this proves necessary (5). Implementing non-surgical caries therapy needs a change in mentality and involves not only academia but also health politics and professional organisations.…”

Use of stainless steel crowns to restore primary molars in Germany: Questionnaire‐based cross‐sectional analysis

“…As was observed in this study, related evidence‐based concepts for treatment of primary teeth, however, do not seem yet to be a central component of the education programmes at the undergraduate level in the analysed setting. The Association for Dental Education in Europe and the European Organisation for Caries Research, which synthesized the European Core Curriculum in Cariology for undergraduate dental students, suggested that decision‐making around surgical interventions for caries management has to be evidence‐based, focused on tooth preservation, in view of the short/long‐term success and failure rates of existing management approaches …”

“…The Association for Dental Education in Europe and the European Organisation for Caries Research, which synthesized the European Core Curriculum in Cariology for undergraduate dental students, suggested that decision-making around surgical interventions for caries management has to be evidence-based, focused on tooth preservation, in view of the short/long-term success and failure rates of existing management approaches. 29,30 For primary teeth, a restoration should ideally function until the tooth sheds naturally. Different studies, however, have shown failure rates of around 20%-30% for primary molar restorations.…”

Proposal of e-learning strategy to teach Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) to undergraduate and graduate students

“…Currently, undergraduate dental education has been widely discussed in many countries with the aim of modernizing the curriculum in cariology. Undergraduate dental education should enable students to become professionals with critical potential who are able to perform early diagnosis and have a wider understanding of the caries process according to the best scientific evidence available [3,4]. …”