Dental caries remains a frequent clinical problem in children and continues to represent an important challenge in pediatric dental practice. Although prevention, diagnosis and restorative materials have improved considerably, many children still present with active carious lesions that require careful and individualized management. In children, treatment decisions are influenced not only by the clinical aspect of the lesion, but also by age, cooperation, caries risk, diet, oral hygiene, parental involvement and the stage of dental development [1,2].
In recent years, the management of dental caries has moved toward more biological and minimally invasive strategies. Instead of focusing only on complete caries removal and cavity restoration, current approaches aim to control disease progression, preserve dental tissues, maintain pulp vitality, and reduce the negative impact of dental treatment on the child [3,4]. This is especially important in primary teeth, where the main goal is to keep the tooth functional and asymptomatic until its natural exfoliation, while avoiding unnecessary pulp exposure or overtreatment [5].
Contemporary pediatric caries management should therefore be based on prevention, early diagnosis, caries risk assessment and minimally invasive care when needed. Fluoride therapy, fissure sealants, dietary counseling, oral hygiene instruction, selective caries removal, atraumatic restorative treatment, silver diamine fluoride and the Hall technique are all usefull options in modern pediatric dentistry [1,3,6,7]. These methods should be selected according to each child’s needs and should be seen as part of long-term strategy that focuses on long-term oral health.
Anamaria BUD 1
1 George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu-Mureș, Romania
1 George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu-Mureș, Romania
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