The Hall Technique; retrospective case-note follow-up of 5-year RCT.
OBJECTIVE
Few paediatric dental restorative trials present outcomes for more than two years, leaving clinicians uncertain of long-term implications for their patients. This study aimed to establish the Hall Technique's success over the lifetime of primary teeth compared to conventional restorations (CR), by following up participants in the Tayside (Scotland), UK trial.


METHODS
Following the Phase 1 prospective, split-mouth randomised control trial with 132 children (264 teeth) in 17 general practices in Scotland, 142/264 (54%) teeth had reached an endpoint of exfoliation or extraction. Through practices, Phase 2 follow-up data were collected retrospectively from case-notes, using original trial outcomes. Phase 1/ 2 outcome data were combined.


RESULTS
Data were obtained up until exfoliation/extraction for 184 teeth (73%) in matched pairs. Major failures: 16 CR; 4 HT (P = 0.0015); ARR = 0.13 (95%CI: 0.04;0.22), numbers needed to treat (NNT) 8 (95%CI: 4;25) favouring HT. Minor failures: 37 CR; 5 HT (P <0.0001); ARR = 0.35 (95%CI: 0.23;0.45) and NNT = 3 (95%CI: 2;4). Repeat failures occurred mostly in the conventional restoration arm for both major and minor failures.


CONCLUSIONS
The HT continued to outperform GDP's standard restorations in primary molar teeth with significant caries involvement over the lifetime of the teeth.
Dundee Dental Hospital &School, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, DD1 4HR.
N
N
Innes
Dundee Dental Hospital &School, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, DD1 4HR.
M
M
Stewart
Dundee Dental Hospital &School, University of Dundee, Park Place, Dundee, DD1 4HR.
G
G
Souster
Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 5DA.
D
D
Evans
D000293:Adolescent; D000359:Aftercare; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003442:Crowns; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy*; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014080:Tooth Exfoliation; D014081:Tooth Extraction; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous; D016896:Treatment Outcome