Success rates of Hall technique crowns in primary molars: a retrospective pilot study.

The purpose of this retrospective observational study was to assess success rates, both clinical and radiographic, of stainless steel crowns (SSCs) placed on primary molars using the Hall technique. A retrospective analysis was performed on recorded data of patients with any primary molar treated with an SSC that was placed using the Hall technique at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry during 2011-2015. The primary outcome measure was the success or failure of the SSCs placed with the Hall technique. These outcomes were categorized as either clinical and radiographic success or failure. Clinical failure was defined as the need for pulp therapy or extraction following crown placement. Radiographic failure was defined as the presence of any pathological condition-including external or internal root resorption, bifurcation radiolucency, widened periodontal ligament, or ectopic eruption of permanent first molar adjacent to the Hall crown-following crown placement. Records indicated that 100 boys received a total of 179 crowns (61.1% of all Hall crowns placed), and 64 girls received 114 crowns. The mean age of the patients was 5.1 years (SD, 2.4 years). Of 293 SSCs included in the study, 180 received at least 1 follow-up examination after a mean of 9.9 months (SD, 6.5 months). At the first follow-up visit, 178 (98.9%) of 180 SSCs placed using the Hall technique were clinically successful. Of 87 crowns with radiographs available, 85 (97.7%) were radiographically successful. At the second follow-up visit (after a mean of 20.1 months), 74 of 76 (97.4%) were rated as clinically successful, and 37 of 39 (94.9%) were radiographically successful. Results of this study provide evidence of high clinical and radiographic success rates for SSCs placed on primary molars with the Hall technique.

Clinical Versus Radiographic Caries Diagnosis in Primary Tooth Approximal Surfaces.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare approximal carious lesions in dentin diagnosed by clinical examination with those diagnosed radiographically in high caries-risk children. Methods: Eighty-four Amish two- to 11-year-olds were evaluated clinically by calibrated examiners using standard epidemiological criteria and radiographically using standard criteria as part of baseline examinations for a two-year pilot clinical trial. Approximal carious surfaces diagnosed by clinical examination were compared to those diagnosed radiographically to determine the number of lesions misdiagnosed by clinical examination alone. Comparisons between the number of lesions detected by clinical exam and radiographic exam were made using McNemar's test. Results: Among 124 anterior approximal tooth surfaces, clinical examination alone identified 61 lesions (49.2 percent), while radiograph examination identified 72 lesions (58.1 percent); thus, nine percent of lesions were misdiagnosed by clinical examination alone. For the 412 posterior approximal tooth surfaces included in the study, 101 lesions (24.5 percent) were identified by clinical examination, whereas 229 lesions (55.6 percent) were identified via radiographic examination. Thus, 128 (31.1 percent) were misdiagnosed by clinical examination alone. Conclusions: Clinical examinations without radiographs significantly underestimate caries prevalence. Therefore, the use of radiographs should be encouraged in epidemiological studies and clinical trials.