Success rate of the Hall technique and the conventional method in the treatment of class II carious lesions on primary molars

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Some of the filling materials are extremely ineffective cases of secondary caries as they leave the tooth surface unprotected against cariogenic conditions in the oral cavity. A new approach for treatment of primary molars with preformed metal crowns (PMCs) is implemented known as Hall Technique. PMCs provide excellent sealing in primary molars arresting the progression of the carious process. AIM: The aim of this article is to do a comparative assessment of the received results when restoring approximal dentin carious lesions with glass ionomer cement (GIC) and Hall crowns in primary and early mixed dentition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For a 2-year period object of clinical observation were 100 teeth with approximal dentin carious lesions on primary molars in children at 5-7 years of age from Varna. Fifty of them were restored with GIC, and the other 50 were sealed with PMCs using the Hall technique. The progression of the carious lesion and the failure of the restoration were examined. RESULT: The major failures with the Hall technique after 2-year follow-up accounted for only 2%, and the minor ones were 4%. For the conventional methods with GIC as filling material, they were 12% and 48%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The average duration of PMCs restorations using the Hall technique is very high. They may be an appropriate option for restoration and treatment of the carious process on primary molars, especially for class II carious lesions. After the follow-up period we can conclude that the Hall technique has advantage over the conventional methods of treatment with GICs.