Preventative 'no-drill' dentistry can stop tooth decay: Study

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Tuesday 08 Dec 2015 - 12:48 Makkah mean time-26-2-1437 Sydney, (IINA) - Researchers in Australia found in a seven-year study that not all tooth decays are equal, and that in many cases, decay can be treated, stopped and reversed, which prevents the traditional "drill and fill" method, UPI reported. Using fluoride, improving brushing, and changing diet, part of what researchers called the Caries Management System (CMS), can stop and reverse decay before it causes cavities in teeth. They said that only when a cavity is visible, the tooth may be drilled and filled. "For a long time it was believed that tooth decay was a rapidly progressive phenomenon and the best way to manage it was to identify early decay and remove it immediately in order to prevent a tooth surface from breaking up into cavities", said Dr. Wendell Evans, an associate professor at the University of Sydney. "It takes an average of four to eight years for decay to progress from the tooth's outer layer (enamel) to the inner layer (dentine). That is plenty of time for the decay to be detected and treated before it becomes a cavity and requires a filling". The researchers recruited 19 dental practices to use either the CMS or traditional drill-and-fill practice, following patients for a three-year randomized clinical trial and following up with them two and four years after the end of the trial. Over the course of the full seven-year monitoring time, researchers reported that decay was reduced in CMS participants by 30 to 50 percent. The four-part CMS, which are: application of high concentration fluoride varnish by dentists on early decay; attention to tooth-brushing skills; restriction of snacks and beverages containing sugar; and risk-specific monitoring, was judged successful, though researchers said its success puts a lot of responsibility on patients. "It showed that early decay could be stopped and reversed and that the need for drilling and filling was reduced dramatically", Evans noted. "A tooth should be only be drilled and filled where an actual hole-in-the-tooth (cavity) is already evident". AG/IINA