Are there any limits to the dental treatment of children?

Abstract

Aim: The objective of this paper is to describe and discuss the most commonly occurring limits in care provision between a dentist and a child, i.e. provider and recipient.

Methods: The study was conducted online in the form of an anonymous questionnaire survey. We were looking for dentists to answer two basic modeled situations during the treatment of deciduous teeth (filling and extraction) in 4-year-old and 8-year-old children. Each modeled situation had 9 possible clinical scenarios. The age was chosen to factor the cooperation of a preschool- and a school-age child.

Conclusion: The experience gained through clinical practice and the number of treated children show to be fundamental for the treatment of child's deciduous teeth and for the selection of a treatment method. Dentists acquire sufficient knowledge through their education in the faculties of medicine. The limit is the child itself, therefore it is desirable to build specialised centres for their treatment.