title: A cross-sectional survey investigating care of the primary dentition by paediatric dental specialists in Japan and the UK.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare treatment decisions in primary dentistry between Japanese and UK-based paediatric dental specialists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four clinical scenarios involving a 6-year-old boy were used to ascertain the clinical opinions of participants. The scenarios presented: (i) a single distal cavity, vital and without pain; (ii) a distal occlusal cavity, vital and without pain; (iii) a large distal occlusal cavity, non-vital and without pain, and (iv) a large distal occlusal cavity, non-vital and painful. Participants were 104 Japanese and 115 UK-based paediatric dental specialists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the first scenario, some UK specialists showed a preference for vital pulpotomy with a stainless steel crown (10.3% compared with 0.9% in Japan). In the second scenario, Japanese participants were more likely than UK participants to offer traditional restorative care (73.6% vs. 24.1%). In the third scenario, 54.7% of Japanese specialists chose to open the pulp chamber, whereas 51.8% of UK specialists selected non-vital pulpotomy with stainless steel crown. In the final scenario, 74.0% of Japanese specialists chose to open the pulp chamber, whereas 51.8% of UK specialists chose not to offer any treatment other than extraction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Japanese and UK specialists in paediatric dental care choose different interventions for the same clinical problems.
authors.affiliation: Fukai Institute of Health Science, Saitama, Japan. fukaik@fihs.org
authors.forename: Kakuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukai
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blinkhorn
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology; D019553:Tooth, Nonvital / Q000473:pathology; D006113:United Kingdom