Evidence-based clinical practice guideline on nonrestorative treatments for carious lesions: A report from the American Dental Association

BACKGROUND

An expert panel convened by the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs and the Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry conducted a systematic review and formulated evidence-based clinical recommendations for the arrest or reversal of noncavitated and cavitated dental caries using nonrestorative treatments in children and adults.

TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED

The authors conducted a systematic search of the literature in MEDLINE and Embase via Ovid, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Cochrane database of systematic reviews to identify randomized controlled trials reporting on nonrestorative treatments for noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions. The authors used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach to assess the certainty in the evidence and move from the evidence to the decisions.

RESULTS

The expert panel formulated 11 clinical recommendations, each specific to lesion type, tooth surface, and dentition. Of the most effective interventions, the panel provided recommendations for the use of 38% silver diamine fluoride, sealants, 5% sodium fluoride varnish, 1.23% acidulated phosphate fluoride gel, and 5,000 parts per million fluoride (1.1% sodium fluoride) toothpaste or gel, among others. The panel also provided a recommendation against the use of 10% casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate.

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Although the recommended interventions are often used for caries prevention, or in conjunction with restorative treatment options, these approaches have shown to be effective in arresting or reversing carious lesions. Clinicians are encouraged to prioritize use of these interventions based on effectiveness, safety, and feasibility.

Purpose, structure, and function of the United States National Dental Practice-Based Research Network

OBJECTIVE

Following a successful 2005-2012 phase with three regional practice-based research networks (PBRNs), a single, unified national network called "The National Dental PBRN" was created in 2012 in the United States to improve oral health by conducting practice-based research and serving dental professionals through education and collegiality.

METHODS

Central administration is based in Alabama. Regional centres are based in Alabama, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, New York and Texas, with a Coordinating Centre in Maryland. Ideas for studies are prioritized by the Executive Committee, comprised mostly of full-time clinicians.

RESULTS

To date, 2763 persons have enrolled, from all six network regions; enrollment continues to expand. They represent a broad range of practitioners, practice types, and patient populations. Practitioners are actively improving every step of the research process, from idea generation, to study development, field testing, data collection, and presentation and publication.

CONCLUSIONS

Practitioners from diverse settings are partnering with fellow practitioners and academics to improve clinical practice and meet the needs of clinicians and their patients.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

This "nation's network" aims to serve as a precious national resource to improve the scientific basis for clinical decision-making and foster movement of the latest evidence into routine practice.

The standard of care: an ethical responsibility of public health dentistry

Wide variation in the diagnosis and treatment of dental problems is indicative of the lack of a standard of care to guide the practitioner and to protect the public. Examples of questionable dental practices are described to illustrate how the public may be overtreated, overcharged, and put at risk of iatrogenic injury, practices that are no longer valid in light of current knowledge of dental diseases and their treatment. Public health dentistry traditionally concerns itself with community preventive, educational, and curative programs. It also has the ethical responsibility--the moral duty and obligation--to recognize and contend with paternalistic professional behavior that, intentionally or otherwise, violates the public trust, and to promote systems that will improve access, quality, and financing of dentistry for everyone.

Antibiotics for the urgent management of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, symptomatic apical periodontitis, and localized acute apical abscess: Systematic review and meta-analysis-a report of the American Dental Association

BACKGROUND

Patients with pulpal and periapical conditions often seek treatment for pain, intraoral swelling, or both. Even when definitive, conservative dental treatment (DCDT) is an option, antibiotics are often prescribed. The purpose of this review was to summarize available evidence regarding the effect of antibiotics, either alone or as adjuncts to DCDT, to treat immunocompetent adults with pulpal and periapical conditions, as well as additional population-level harms associated with antibiotic use.

TYPE OF STUDIES REVIEWED

The authors updated 2 preexisting systematic reviews to identify newly published randomized controlled trials. They also searched for systematic reviews to inform additional harm outcomes. They conducted searches in MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Pairs of reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and assessment of risk of bias and certainty in the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach.

RESULTS

The authors found no new trials via the update of the preexisting reviews. Ultimately, 3 trials and 8 additional reports proved eligible for this review. Trial estimates for all outcomes suggested both a benefit and harm over 7 days (very low to low certainty evidence). The magnitude of additional harms related to antibiotic use for any condition were potentially large (very low to moderate certainty evidence).

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Evidence for antibiotics, either alone or as adjuncts to DCDT, showed both a benefit and a harm for outcomes of pain and intraoral swelling and a large potential magnitude of effect in regard to additional harm outcomes. The impact of dental antibiotic prescribing requires further research.

Direct materials for restoring caries lesions: Systematic review and meta-analysis-a report of the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs

BACKGROUND

The goal of restoring caries lesions is to protect the pulp, prevent progression of the disease process, and restore the form and function of the tooth. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effect of different direct restorative materials for treating cavitated caries lesions on anterior and posterior primary and permanent teeth.

TYPE OF STUDIES REVIEWED

The authors included parallel and split-mouth randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of direct restorative materials commercially available in the United States placed in vital, nonendodontically treated primary and permanent teeth. Pairs of reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and assessments of risk of bias and certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. The authors conducted pair-wise meta-analyses to summarize the evidence and calculated measures of association and their 95% CIs.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight randomized controlled trials were eligible for analysis, which included data on Class I and Class II restorations on primary teeth and Class I, Class II, Class III, Class V, and root surface restorations on permanent teeth. Included studies assessed the effect of amalgam, resin composite, compomer, conventional glass ionomer cement, resin-modified glass isomer cement, and preformed metal crowns. Moderate to very low certainty evidence suggested varying levels of effectiveness across restorative materials.

CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Owing to a relatively low event rate across various outcomes indicating restoration failure, there was limited evidence to support important differences between direct restorative materials used in practice.

Ethics in dentistry: review and critique of Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct

This paper has reviewed an ethic for the profession of dental medicine, such an ethic being grounded in the classical characteristics of a profession. The Principles and Code of the ADA have been reviewed and critiqued. The following conclusions are drawn: The dental profession and the individual dentist have a duty to recognize the reciprocity of the relationship that exists with society, and the duty of covenantal fidelity. The dentist has a duty to conduct his or her professional life in accordance with the ethical principles rooted in the moral rules. These are the principles of beneficence: autonomy and justice, in both individual and societal contexts. The dentist has a duty to maintain his or her level of knowledge and skill current. The dentist has an obligation to participate in the professional community to help ensure just distribution of society's resources and to share the burden of professional self-regulation to the extent that such a privilege is granted by society. The current Principles and Code are helpful expressions of dentistry's professional obligations, but are deficient in: not speaking to reciprocity of relationship, the principle of self-determination, and not providing for societal participation in the covenant agreement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ethics and dental amalgam removal

Recent media attention regarding dental amalgam restorations has generated needless fears among millions of dental patients. This article examines the issue of dental amalgam removal from an ethical perspective and offers some practical advice on how to address this problem in the dental office.

A survey of ethical dilemmas and practical problems encountered by practicing dentists

Dental practice has been subject to many changes in recent years, including third-party involvement, infection control requirements and a rise in litigation. The authors conducted a broad-based national survey of practitioners to learn their views on the ethical and practical problems facing today's dentist.

Whistleblowing in dentistry: what are the ethical issues?

What should you do when you see another dental professional's substandard work? What dental professionals are most likely to encounter whistleblowing dilemmas? Generic components of whistleblowing that apply to dentistry and factors to consider when choosing to report are discussed.

Ethical principles and the delivery of children's oral health care

Fundamental ethical principles provide a framework for evaluating children's oral health care and current policies. Principles of justice reveal fundamental inequities in the delivery of children's oral health care. The dental care delivery system rations services by ability to pay and personal choice and places at a disadvantage children who are in the poorest age group, who do not make their own decisions, and who depend upon adults for access to health care. All major theories of justice are consistent with a societal obligation to provide basic health care for children, including oral health care. Beneficence requires physicians and dentists to help the individual child-patient but also obligates others and the society to advocate for children in view of their vulnerability and the importance of oral health to their well-being and future opportunities. Respect for autonomy requires that decisions about children's health care be made in the best interests of the child and in conjunction with families. Such decisions will be grounded in the context of the child's development and his social, family, cultural, and environmental circumstances. Advocacy for a just distribution of resources to children is morally required of physicians and dentists in view of the professions' implicit contract to serve society, public funding of professional education, and the professionals' special knowledge of children's health needs. Pediatricians in particular have an important role to play but often lack the knowledge to promote or effectively advocate for children's oral health. Conversely, dentists may not fully understand critical contextual issues in children's lives.

Attitudes, Perceptions, and Preferences of Individuals from Temuco (Chile) About Denture Marking

Denture marking (DM) helps identify edentulous people with different methods. Analyzing perceptions and attitudes of denture wearers would enable understanding of the practical aspects, an analysis still absent in South America. Fifty-three individual candidates for removable dentures were instructed on disaster victim identification (DVI) and the usefulness of DM for this purpose. They were physically shown eight DM systems and a questionnaire to which they responded by highlighting preferences in those systems. Although 98.11% did not know that dentures could be marked, only 9.43% denied interest in some type of DM. The 90.57% would mark their dentures with some system, preferring the inclusion of QR codes or a micro SIM card. The proven weaknesses of DVI and propensity for disaster mean this community in Chile is an opportunity to implement DM systems. Obstacles may come not from patients but from their dentists, educational institutions, or a lack of public policies.

Evidence-based clinical practice guideline on restorative treatments for caries lesions: A report from the American Dental Association

BACKGROUND

An expert panel convened by the American Dental Association (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs together with the ADA Science and Research Institute's program for Clinical and Translational Research conducted a systematic review and developed recommendations for the treatment of moderate and advanced cavitated caries lesions in patients with vital, nonendodontically treated primary and permanent teeth.

TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED

The authors searched for systematic reviews comparing carious tissue removal (CTR) approaches in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Trip Medical Database. The authors also conducted a systematic search for randomized controlled trials comparing direct restorative materials in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. The authors used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach to assess the certainty of the evidence and formulate recommendations.

RESULTS

The panel formulated 16 recommendations and good practice statements: 4 on CTR approaches specific to lesion depth and 12 on direct restorative materials specific to tooth location and surfaces involved. The panel conditionally recommended for the use of conservative CTR approaches, especially for advanced lesions. Although the panel conditionally recommended for the use of all direct restorative materials, they prioritized some materials over the use of others for certain clinical scenarios.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The evidence suggests that more conservative CTR approaches may decrease the risk of adverse effects. All included direct restorative materials may be effective in treating moderate and advanced caries lesions on vital, nonendodontically treated primary and permanent teeth.

Possible health care professional-to-patient HIV transmission. Dentists' reactions to a Centers for Disease Control report

On July 27, 1990, the Centers for Disease Control reported possible transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a dentist to a patient as a result of patient care. We surveyed a random national probability sample of 300 dentists with a 26-item survey in August and September 1990 to assess reactions to the report (response rate, 59%). Respondents tended not to believe the report (mean was 3.2, median 3.0, where 1 indicated "do not believe" and 7 indicated "believe"). Our sample also tended to believe that transmission of HIV from dentists to patients was unlikely in the future (mean was 2.0, median 2.0, where 1 indicated "not at all likely" and 7 indicated "very likely"). Fifty-one percent of our sample recommended that dentists infected with HIV should discontinue practice, while 38% recommended continuing practice with changes in procedures. Seventy-four percent believed patients should be told if their dentist was infected with HIV. In summary, dentists doubted the possibility of dentist-to-patient transmission of HIV and did not believe the Centers for Disease Control case report, but they did believe infected dentists should refrain from clinical work or modify their practice.

American Dental Association Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct. With official advisory opinions revised to July 1988. Council on Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial Affairs

The ethical statements which have historically been subscribed to by the dental profession have had the benefit of the patient as their primary goal. Recognition of this goal, and of the education and training of a dentist, has resulted in society affording to the profession the privilege and obligation of self-government. The Association calls upon members of the profession to be caring and fair in their contact with patients. Although the structure of society may change, the overriding obligation of the dentist will always remain the duty to provide quality care in a competent and timely manner. All members must protect and preserve the high standards of oral health care provided to the public by the profession. They must strive to improve the care delivered--through education, training, research and, most of all, adherence to a stringent code of ethics, structured to meet the needs of the patient.