Management options

Management options for carious primary teeth when there are no clinical or radiographic signs of pulpal involvement

In a child with no medical complications, for each type of lesion when there are no clinical or radiographic signs of pulpal involvement, the preferred treatment option(s) are indicated ✓. Alternative options that may be appropriate in certain circumstances are indicated (✓) with explanation in the footnotes. Section 10 of the full guidance provides further details on each caries treatment technique. This classification includes a description of each lesion type.

^a Caries is considered to have arrested when there is demonstrable evidence of non-progression of lesions over several months using a recording system, such as photographs or ICDAS codes.
^b For these lesions, other options are considered preferable.
^c Due to a lack of supporting evidence, this approach is only appropriate for these types of lesions if no alternative is feasible. Document the use of this approach and rationale in the patient’s record.
^d An emerging technique with a developing supporting evidence base.