Studies investigating restorations placed in the primary dentition showed no significant differences between the groups after 12 and 24 months .
In the permanent dentition , the longevity of ART restorations is equal to or greater than that of equivalent amalgam restorations for up to 6.3 years and is site-dependent .
No difference was observed in primary teeth .
The aim was to report on the longevity of  restorations placed using the atraumatic restorative treatment ( ART ) approach  compared with that of  equivalent placed amalgam restorations .
The atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) approach to restoring primary teeth in a standard dental clinic.
OBJECTIVES The aims of this study are to assess the feasibility of the  Atraumatic Restorative Treatment ( ART ) approach in primary teeth and to compare the ART approach with traditional amalgam restorations in primary molars . METHODS This study was conducted in a paediatric dentistry clinic in Kuwait between April 1999 and December 2001 . The ART and amalgam restorations were placed r and omly on comparable pairs of primary molars , if available . In addition , the ART approach was used for other primary teeth that had no pulpal involvement and no perceived pain before treatment . The restorations were assessed by both the ART evaluation criteria and USPHS criteria in August-September 2000 and in August-December 2001 . The mean follow-up period for the restorations was 8.3 months in the first assessment ( 2000 ) and 22 months in the second assessment ( 2001 ) . The assessment was possible for 35 children ( mean age = 5.7 years ) , 18 of whom had comparable pairs ( n = 35 pairs ) of restorations in their primary molars . In addition , 48 other ART restorations  were assessed in 2000 and 42 in 2001 . RESULTS In a 2-year follow-up , 89.6 % of all ART restorations were considered successful . The failure rate of the comparable pairs of ART and amalgam restorations was 5.7 % . There was no significant difference in success rate between ART and amalgam techniques . CONCLUSIONS Based on a 2-year follow-up evaluation , the class I ART restorations seemed to have a high success rate , indicating the appropriateness of the ART approach in primary teeth
Studies investigating restorations placed in the primary dentition showed no significant differences between the groups after 12 and 24 months .
In the permanent dentition , the longevity of ART restorations is equal to or greater than that of equivalent amalgam restorations for up to 6.3 years and is site-dependent .
No difference was observed in primary teeth .
The aim was to report on the longevity of  restorations placed using the atraumatic restorative treatment ( ART ) approach  compared with that of  equivalent placed amalgam restorations .