IADR Abstract Archives
Caries Management for the Elderly
Abstract Body: The International Caries Consensus Collaboration (ICCC) has initiated the publication of a monograph about the ‘Evolution of treating cavitated carious lesions’ in 2018. The book presents modern cariological principles that have been derived from decades of research and is considered an essential part of the current philosophy of managing dental caries that is encompassed in Minimal Intervention Dentistry (MID). The aim of MID is ‘Teeth for Life’. As the life expectancy of people is increasing over time, reaching 80-90 years, preservation of tooth tissue at a young age is essential in order for the elderly to have a sufficient number of functional teeth. The modern cariological principles have also implications for the treatment of carious lesions in elderly.
The European Union (EU) has banned the use of amalgam for children under 15 years of age, breastfeeding and pregnant women. This ban poses the question: which restorative is the successor to amalgam? The question becomes even more important as many resin composites, one of the successors, contain monomers (BPA’s) which are considered by the EU as an unwanted substance in the environment. This information makes glass-ionomer cement, another successor, a very interesting material to understand and discuss. The material has improved in mechanical and aesthetic characteristics over the last decades and is completely different from versions available in the 1980s and 1990s.
The modern principles of cavity excavation and the use of modern glass-ionomers come together in the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART). Not only is ART successfully used in children but it is also increasingly used in treating carious cavities in adults and elders. Because it uses hand instruments, ART is mobile and therefore, holds the opportunity to provide caries care for vulnerable elders at their homes, daycare centres and institutions. The survival of ART/HVGIC restorations meets those of resin composites.
The European Union (EU) has banned the use of amalgam for children under 15 years of age, breastfeeding and pregnant women. This ban poses the question: which restorative is the successor to amalgam? The question becomes even more important as many resin composites, one of the successors, contain monomers (BPA’s) which are considered by the EU as an unwanted substance in the environment. This information makes glass-ionomer cement, another successor, a very interesting material to understand and discuss. The material has improved in mechanical and aesthetic characteristics over the last decades and is completely different from versions available in the 1980s and 1990s.
The modern principles of cavity excavation and the use of modern glass-ionomers come together in the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART). Not only is ART successfully used in children but it is also increasingly used in treating carious cavities in adults and elders. Because it uses hand instruments, ART is mobile and therefore, holds the opportunity to provide caries care for vulnerable elders at their homes, daycare centres and institutions. The survival of ART/HVGIC restorations meets those of resin composites.