Prevention of early decay in children’s teeth

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Dental caries remains the most common chronic disease of childhood in New Zealand. For early caries found in between teeth, it is often particularly difficult to determine the best treatment, and there is the risk of under- or over-treatment. We are looking at children aged 7 to 9 years with decay occurring between their teeth. When it is just beginning new research shows that we may reduce the decay progressing to a filling or even an extraction using a new approach of sealing the decaying surface between the teeth. We want to see if this is the same in Otago children who are treated at the school dental clinic. If this is the case then it may change how children will be treated in the future with resin infiltration placed between teeth instead of fillings. Children will continue to receive dental care as usual so that we can see the difference this new sealant may make to the tooth. Following the loss of the tooth, teeth will undergo laboratory testing to determine the nature of the resin infiltration interface.This study will be the first in the world to incorporate community-based clinical and laboratory approaches to better understand how resin infiltration works.