Occlusal Caries Management: Preferences among Dentists in Norway

Abstract

The aim was to measure variations in the threshold for operative treatment of occlusal caries in permanent teeth and the use of dental materials, compared with results from a similar study conducted in Norway in 1995. In 2009, a precoded questionnaire was sent electronically to 3,654 dentists with E-mail addresses in the member register of the Norwegian Dental Association. The questions were related to caries, treatment strategies and choice of dental materials. Replies were obtained from 61.3% respondents after two reminders. Restorative treatment of occlusal lesions confined to enamel was proposed by 12% of the dentists, compared with 18% in 1995 (p < 0.01). Older dentists more often than younger dentists would operatively treat enamel lesions (p < 0.01). Most dentists preferred to drill only the carious part of the fissure rather than the whole fissure both in 2009 (78.8%) and 1995 (68.3%; p < 0.01). In 2009, 91.9% preferred composite as the restorative material of choice, compared to only 39.1% in 1995. Logistic regression analyses identified higher age of the dentist as the only variable significantly associated with higher risk of restoring occlusal enamel lesions operatively. The authors conclude that especially young dentists appear to be more reluctant to remove tooth substance in 2009 compared with 1995. Composite is the dominating material of choice in 2009 and seems to have substituted the use of most other filling materials in occlusal restorations in permanent teeth.

Minimally Invasive Intervention for Primary Caries Lesions: Are Dentists Implementing This Concept?

“…This indicates that practitioners who are more eager to intervene at an early stage of approximal caries are also more eager to do so in case of occlusal caries. These findings are in line with previous studies [Mejàre et al, 1999;Espelid et al, 2001;Kopperud et al, 2016].…”

“…These findings are in accordance with other studies [Sunnegårdh-Grönberg et al, 2009;Eklund, 2010]. On January 1, 2008, the use of amalgam was banned in Norway, and in the most recent surveys [Vidnes- Kopperud et al, 2011;Kopperud et al, 2016] it was not an option anymore. Glass ionomer cement reached some popularity as the preferred material for restoring primary caries lesions especially in Northern European countries, although its use decreased overtime.…”

Diagnosis, Risk Assessment, and Treatment Decisions for Occlusal Caries: A Survey from the Danish Public Dental Health Service

“…In addition, the health insurance system for children and adolescents aged ≤18 years in Denmark rewards the use of nonoperative strategies to manage dental caries with the ultimate goal of keeping sound teeth sound over time. A similar approach and results were found in other Scandinavian countries [Kopperud et al, 2016].…”

Occlusal Caries: Biological Approach for Its Diagnosis and Management

“…Sealing is also used for the therapeutic treatment of active occlusal enamel caries lesions in the young permanent dentition, while the current strategy for active occlusal dentin caries lesions is invasive restorative treatment. However, sealants are seldom used in adults [Gore, 2010], and there has been a tendency to treat even enamel caries lesions with invasive therapy [Espelid et al, 2001;Fellows et al, 2014;Kopperud et al, 2016].…”