Silver-modified atraumatic restorative treatment (SMART) in managing carious primary molars: 1-year clinical results

Abstract

Abstract Background: Silver-modified atraumatic restorative treatment (SMART) is a minimally invasive treatment method that can be utilized for the management of early childhood caries. Aim: To assess the 12-month clinical success of the SMART technique in the management of carious primary molars. Design: The analysis (Modified-United States Public Health Service Criteria) was performed on clinical records (3-6-12 months) of 53 teeth (uncooperative patients, 2-6 years, no spontaneous pain-sensitivity to percussion-palpation) treated with the SMART technique during the pandemic. The teeth were divided into groups by location (mandibular-maxillary) and carious cavities (occlusal, mesio/disto-occlusal, mesio-occlusal-distal). Fisher Exact Chi-Square test was used to determine the relation between the groups and p-value <.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: The success rate of retention, marginal discoloration, and secondary caries in the mandible (84.8%), was higher than the values detected in the maxilla (38.5%) and teeth with occlusal caries were significantly more successful at 12-month assessments (p=.038). Mandibular cases and occlusal cavities revealed better results in marginal adaptation assessments (78.8%, and 88.9%, respectively). Conclusion: SMART may be an alternative for the treatment of carious teeth of uncooperative children at least for a period until the child becomes mature to comply with the advanced treatment procedure.