2-year survival and cost analysis of occlusoproximal ART restorations using encapsulated glass ionomer cement in primary molars: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The survival of ART restorations can be influenced by the choice of the restorative material. The aim of this randomized non-inferiority controlled trial was to compare the 2-year survival rate and cost analysis of two encapsulated glass ionomer cements (GIC) as occlusoproximal restorative materials in primary molars. METHODS: Children from public schools in Tietê (Brazil), aged 4-8 years with occlusoproximal dentine carious lesions in primary molars were selected and randomly assigned to receive either Equia Forte (EF) or Riva Self Cure (RSC) as restorative materials. Treatment was carried out by two trained final-year dental students in schools following ART premises. Restorations were assessed by a trained and calibrated examiner after 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The primary outcome was restoration survival after 2 years, analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analysis (α = 5%). Professional and materials costs for each group were collected in Brazilian Reais (R$) and converted into US dollars (US$) and analyzed using Monte-Carlo simulation. RESULTS: A total of 152 children (76 per group) were included in the study, and 121 (79%) were evaluated after 2 years. The overall 2-year restoration survival rate was 39% (EF = 45%; RSC = 32%) with no difference between the groups. The baseline and 2-year total cost of restorations using RSC was lower when compared to EF (incremental cost: US$ 6.18). CONCLUSION: After two years of follow-up, Riva Self Cure shows comparable restoration survival rates to Equia Forte, being more cost-effective in the Brazilian perspective. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This randomized clinical trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.Gov - NCT02730000.

O reparo pode aumentar a sobrevida de restaurações que apresentam falhas quando comparado com a substituição em ambas as dentições? Revisão Sistemática e Meta-Análise / Can repair increase the survival of failed restorations when compared with replacement in both dentitions? Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

O objetivo desta revisão sistemática foi coletar e comparar os dados de sobrevida após o reparo e substituição para restaurações com falhas em dentes decíduos e permanentes. As buscas foram realizadas em dez/2020 e atualizado em abr/2022 de forma sistemática nas bases de dados PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, OpenSigle e ProQuest. Dois revisores independentes calibrados (kappa=0,87) avaliados como critérios de inclusão: (1) estudos de reparo e substituição, (2) dados de sucesso, longevidade ou sobrevivência, (3) ensaios clínicos controlados aleatoriamente; e para os critérios de exclusão (1) perda para acompanhamento superior a 30%, (2) acompanhamento inferior a 12 meses, (3) dentes anteriores. A ferramenta RoB 2 foi utilizada para avaliar o risco de viés, enquanto que a certeza da evidência foi medida por meio da ferramenta GRADE. Foi identificado 4.070 publicações potencialmente relevantes, entretanto apenas três estudos apresentaram todos os critérios para elegibilidade e foram incluídos na análise qualitativa. Nenhum estudo reportou a taxa de sucesso das intervenções na dentição decídua. Foi coletado um tempo padrão de acompanhamento entre os estudos, e a taxa de sobrevivência agregada foi de 99% após três anos. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre as abordagens e nenhuma heterogeneidade entre os estudos foi apontada. Todos os estudos incluídos apresentaram alto risco de viés, além de que a certeza da evidência para a medida do desfecho sucesso foi muito baixa. É importante ressaltar que devido à longevidade similar de ambas as técnicas, é fortemente recomendado realizar a técnica de reparo para restaurações que apresentam falha, uma vez que esta técnica está associada à odontologia de intervenção mínima. Mais estudos clínicos bem delineados são necessários para aumentar a certeza da evidência. Registro do RS: Esta revisão sistemática foi registrada na plataforma Prospero (CRD42021238063)

Use of rubber dam versus cotton roll isolation on composite resin restorations' survival in primary molars: 2-year results from a non-inferiority clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This non-inferiority randomised clinical trial aimed to evaluate the survival of direct bulk fill composite resin restorations in primary molars using different methods of moisture control: rubber dam isolation (RDI-local anaesthesia and rubber dam) and cotton roll isolation (CRI-cotton roll and saliva ejector). Secondary outcomes included baseline and 2-year incremental cost, self-reported child's pain scores and patient behaviour during the restorative procedure. METHODS: A total of 174 molars (93 children) with dentine caries lesions were randomly allocated to study groups (RDI or CRI) and restored with bulk fill composite resin by trained operators. Two blinded examiners assessed the restorations for up to 24 months. Wong-baker faces and Frankl's behaviour rating scales were used for accessing the child's pain and behaviour, respectively. The primary outcome (restoration survival) was analysed using the two-sample non-inferiority test for survival data using Cox Regression (non-inferiority/alternative hypothesis HR > 0.85; CI = 90%). Bootstrap Linear regression was used for cost analysis and logistic regression for pain and behaviour analysis (α = 5%). RESULTS: After 2-years, 157 restorations were evaluated (drop-out = 9.7%). The survival rate was RDI = 60.4% and CRI = 54.3%. The non-inferiority hypothesis was accepted by the Cox Regression analysis (HR = 1.33; 90% CI 0.88-1.99; p = 0.036). RDI was 53% more expensive when compared to the CRI group. No differences were found between the groups regarding pain (p = 0.073) and behaviour (p = 0.788). CONCLUSION: Cotton roll isolation proved to be non-inferior when compared to rubber dam for composite restorations longevity in primary molars. Furthermore, the latest presented the disadvantage of higher cost and longer procedure time. Clinical Significance The moisture control method does not influence the longevity of composite restorations in primary molars. Cotton roll isolation proved to be non-inferior to rubber dam isolation and is a viable option for restoring primary molars. Clinical trial registration registered NCT03733522 on 07/11/2018. The present trial was nested within another clinical trial, the CARies DEtection in Children (CARDEC-03-NCT03520309).

Reparar ou substituir? quando e como intervir em restaurações defeituosas / Repair or replace? when and how to intervene in defective restorations

A alta prevalência de cárie ao redor do mundo faz com que os tratamentos restauradores figurem entre os procedimentos mais executados pelos cirurgiõesdentistas. Também é bastante comum os profissionais relatarem novas lesões de cárie ao redor das restaurações ou até mesmo fraturas parciais ou totais das mesmas, fatores que podem ser considerados como "falhas" do procedimento restaurador. Diante dessas situações, a maioria dos profissionais entende que é necessário realizar a substituição completa da restauração. No entanto, existem outras técnicas mais conservadoras e que podem ser tão efetivas quanto a substituição/troca, como por exemplo a realização de reparo das restaurações apresentando defeitos. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar de forma clara e objetiva aos clínicos que se deparam diariamente com este cenário, qual seria o melhor momento para intervir, e quais as alternativas de tratamento, baseadas na melhor evidência científica disponível, a se realizar frente às falhas dos procedimentos restauradores, sempre alinhadas com a filosofia de Mínima Intervenção.

The high prevalence of caries worldwide makes restorative treatments some of the most commonly performed dental treatments. It is pretty common to find new caries lesions around the restorations or even partial or total fractures, factors that can be considered a "failure" for the restorative procedure. In these situations, most professionals understand that it is necessary to replace the restoration, but other more conservative techniques are as effective as a replacement, such as repairing the restorations. This article aims to present a clear and evidence-based when is the best time to intervene and what is the best treatment to be carried out in case of failure of the restorative procedures, in line with Minimal Intervention principles.

The economic impact of two diagnostic strategies in the management of restorations in primary teeth: a health economic analysis plan for a trial-based economic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Different approaches have been used by dentists to base their decision. Among them, there are the aesthetical issues that may lead to more interventionist approaches. Indeed, using a more interventionist strategy (the World Dental Federation - FDI), more replacements tend to be indicated than using a minimally invasive one (based on the Caries Around Restorations and Sealants-CARS). Since the resources related to the long-term health effects of these strategies have not been explored, the economic impact of using the less-invasive strategy is still uncertain. Thus, this health economic analysis plan aims to describe methodologic approaches for conducting a trial-based economic evaluation that aims to assess whether a minimally invasive strategy is more efficient in allocating resources than the conventional strategy for managing restorations in primary teeth and extrapolating these findings to a longer time horizon. METHODS: A trial-based economic evaluation will be conducted, including three cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) and one cost-utility analysis (CUA). These analyses will be based on the main trial (CARDEC-03/ NCT03520309 ), in which children aged 3 to 10 were included and randomized to one of the diagnostic strategies (based on FDI or CARS). An examiner will assess children's restorations using the randomized strategy, and treatment will be recommended according to the same criteria. The time horizon for this study is 2 years, and we will adopt the societal perspective. The average costs per child for 24 months will be calculated. Three different cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) will be performed. For CEAs, the effects will be the number of operative interventions (primary CEA analysis), the time to these new interventions, the percentage of patients who did not need new interventions in the follow-up, and changes in children's oral health-related quality of life (secondary analyses). For CUA, the effect will be tooth-related quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Intention-to-treat analyses will be conducted. Finally, we will assess the difference when using the minimally invasive strategy for each health effect (∆effect) compared to the conventional strategy (based on FDI) as the reference strategy. The same will be calculated for related costs (∆cost). The discount rate of 5% will be applied for costs and effects. We will perform deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to handle uncertainties. The net benefit will be calculated, and acceptability curves plotted using different willingness-to-pay thresholds. Using Markov models, a longer-term economic evaluation will be carried out with trial results extrapolated over a primary tooth lifetime horizon. DISCUSSION: The main trial is ongoing, and data collection is still not finished. Therefore, economic evaluation has not commenced. We hypothesize that conventional strategy will be associated with more need for replacements of restorations in primary molars. These replacements may lead to more reinterventions, leading to higher costs after 2 years. The health effects will be a crucial aspect to take into account when deciding whether the minimally invasive strategy will be more efficient in allocating resources than the conventional strategy when considering the management of restorations in primary teeth. Finally, patients/parents preferences and consequent utility values may also influence this final conclusion about the economic aspects of implementing the minimally invasive approach for managing restorations in clinical practice. Therefore, these trial-based economic evaluations may bring actual evidence of the economic impact of such interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03520309 . Registered May 9, 2018. Economic evaluations (the focus of this plan) are not initiated at the moment.

Atraumatic restorative treatment restorations performed in different settings: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are potential barriers to using the atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach in conventional dental offices, as many professionals assume that it is only used for field conditions. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the survival data of ART restorations in permanent and primary teeth when performed in and out of the conventional environment. METHODS: Searches were performed on PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Open Grey databases up to April 2020. Studies that evaluated ART restorations were prospective and had survival rate data were included. The risk of bias was evaluated by Rob 2.0 and ROBINS-I tools. Meta-analyses were carried out considering as outcome the survival rate of primary and permanent teeth. Subgroups analysis was performed for setting and type of cavity (occlusal or multi-surface). RESULTS: Thirty-four studies were included. For primary teeth, in general, the overall percentage of survival rate was not influenced by setting, ranging up to 71% in 12 months to 65% in 36 months. Similarly, for permanent teeth, the overall percentage of survival rate was not influenced by setting, ranging up to 96% in 12 months to 61% in 36 months. CONCLUSION: ART is a feasible approach for field settings as well as conventional dental offices. PROSPERO: CRD42020184680.