Key Points
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Provides an overview of the current provision of vital pulp therapy for the management of cariously exposed permanent teeth by general dental practitioners, community and hospital-based dental clinicians in Wales.
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Highlights the differences in protocol and methodology between the dental settings in the provision of vital pulp therapy for cariously exposed permanent teeth.
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Stresses the requirement for high quality postgraduate training in vital pulp therapy.
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the management of deep carious lesions with vital pulp therapy in permanent teeth by dental practitioners within Wales.
Design Postal questionnaire.
Setting General practitioners (GDS), community (CDS) and hospital-based dentists (HDS) in Wales.
Methods Community and hospital dental services with a remit for provision of restorative dentistry (CDS = 71; HDS = 46) and general dental practitioners (N = 510) were approached regarding their management of deep carious lesions with vital pulp therapy in permanent teeth. The postal questionnaire took the form of an anonymous survey. Questions covered usage parameters, training issues and reasons for material choice.
Results The response rate was 29%. The majority of HDS (89%) used MTA or Biodentine for vital pulp therapy in contrast to GDS (41%) and CDS (32%). The main reasons cited for avoiding the use of MTA or Biodentine included cost, lack of training and difficulty in material handling.
Conclusion Usage of MTA or Biodentine for vital pulp therapies is low in the general dental and community dental settings. Cost and lack of training are the main barriers for the uptake of these materials. Postgraduate training may be useful in addressing these barriers. Increasing their adoption would be advantageous as they have been shown to produce a more predictable outcome compared to traditional materials (for example, calcium hydroxide).
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Chin, J., Thomas, M., Locke, M. et al. A survey of dental practitioners in Wales to evaluate the management of deep carious lesions with vital pulp therapy in permanent teeth. Br Dent J 221, 331–338 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.684
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.684
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