title: Patient age and dentists' decisions about occlusal caries treatment thresholds.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was performed to 1) quantify dentists' treatment thresholds for occlusal primary caries; 2) determine if the patient's age affects dentists' decisions to surgically treat these carious lesions; and 3) test the hypothesis that patients', dentists', and practices' characteristics are significantly associated with surgical enamel intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used a cross-sectional design consisting of a questionnaire survey in Japan. This study queried dentists working in outpatient dental practices who were affiliated with the Dental Practice-Based Research Network Japan (JDPBRN), which aims to allow dentists to investigate research questions and share experiences and expertise (n=282). Participants were asked whether they would surgically intervene in a series of cases depicting occlusal caries. Each case included a photograph of an occlusal surface displaying typical characteristics of caries penetration and written descriptions of adult and pediatric patients at high caries risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a case of a carious lesion within inner enamel, the proportion of dentists who indicated surgical intervention was significantly higher in adult patients (48%) when compared with pediatric patients (34%; p<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that using a dental explorer for the diagnosis of primary occlusal caries, type of practice, practice busyness, and percentage of patients who self-pay were significantly associated with dentists' decisions to intervene surgically into the inner enamel carious lesion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate that more than one-third of participants chose to intervene surgically into inner enamel carious lesions, and patients' age affects dentists' decisions about when to intervene surgically (clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT01680848).
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kakudate
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sumida
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Gordan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent; D003815:Dentists; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists'; D055815:Young Adult