title: Conservative operative management strategies.
abstract: Operative conservatism, including delayed operative intervention, is recommended to promote tooth longevity. Effective conservative operative strategies for the permanent dentition are the occlusal preventive resin and the proximal only restoration. Conservative strategies for the primary dentition have proves less successful. Conventional and conservative restorations are vulnerable to caries recurrence, material failure, and technical deficiencies. Successful conservatism demands discerning diagnostic decisions, effective disease management, and technical excellence. The diagnostic accuracy of radiographs and visual criteria is briefly reviewed for proximal and occlusal caries. Improved visual ranking criteria are supported for occlusal caries diagnosis. The use of dyes for occlusal diagnosis is not recommended.
authors.affiliation: Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, 124 Edward Street, Room 352C, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1G6, Canada. d.mccomb@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McComb
mesh_terms: D003188:Composite Resins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003657:Decision Making; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D003737:Dental Cavity Preparation / Q000379:methods*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods*; D003814:Dentistry, Operative / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous
chemical_list: D003188:Composite Resins