PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CARIES AND ITS COMPLICATIONS IN TEMPORARY TEETH IN A DENTAL CLINIC
Authors: Kaskova L.F. , Berezhna O.E. , Lazarieva K.A. , Skrypnykov P.M. 
Published: March 2023

Damage to the hard tissues of the teeth is most common among children. This applies to both temporary and permanent bite. Untimely prevention and treatment of caries leads to the progression of the process in the tissues of the tooth, the occurrence of complications.

The aim of the study was to explore the possibility of using various methods of treatment and prevention of caries in deciduous teeth and its complications in children in a dental clinic.

For the period from 2020 to 2023, 1659 patients aged 2-6 years old applied to the dental clinic. Each patient was examined, individual training was given to them and their parents in oral hygiene, a treatment plan was drawn up and preventive measures were taken. Recommendations were given on rational nutrition. Sealing was applied in temporary molars within a year after their eruption. After 2 years, 90% of patients did not reveal caries of temporary molars.

In children of this age group, the treatment of diseases of the teeth’ hard tissues can be carried out using local anesthesia, under nitrous-nitrogen-oxygen sedation and under general anesthesia. The choice of treatment method will be influenced by the total amount of sanitation and the compliance of the child. In 72% of patients, the intervention was performed under general anesthesia. The use of this method in the clinic makes it possible to treat a certain number of teeth in one visit and work with a cohort of children who are not ready for the usual conditions of admission.

The most common pathology treated was caries, accounting for 89% of the children who visited the clinic.

Used photopolymer composite filling materials.

A complication of caries (inflammation of the pulp or periodontal tissues) was treated in 64% of patients who sought dental care. Each patient underwent an X-ray examination, an orthopantomogram, or targeted images, depending on the age of the child, to decide on the choice of treatment method (tooth preservation or extraction). So, 5.4% of the teeth that needed intervention by a pediatric dentist were subject to extraction. Complicated caries is accompanied by significant destruction of the tooth crown, which requires appropriate treatment approaches. In such cases, standard crowns were more often used, which made it possible to restore the anatomical shape of temporary molars, their function and achieve a long-term treatment effect until the period of physiological changes in the teeth.

There are several options for crowns that can be used in pediatric dentistry standard steel crowns (stainless steel crowns), for the restoration of the chewing group of teeth, metal crowns with plastic veneer, for the restoration of the anterior group of teeth and crowns based on a framework of zirconium dioxide, which are universal and biocompatible with periodontal tissues.

Admission of children to the dental clinic allows the use of modern methods of diagnosis, anesthesia, treatment, and preventive measures. An important point is the cooperation of a pediatric dentist with the patient's parents, which is the key to obtaining maximum positive results, restore chewing function, aesthetic appearance, achieve an increase in the resistance of hard dental tissues and prevent caries and its further development.