Purpose: Variations in decision-making about restorative treatments have been demonstrated among dentists in several countries. This study sought to assess the restorative treatment philosophies based on a representative sample of French dentists.
Materials and methods: A sample (n = 2000) was randomly extracted from a national list (n = 42,000). Each dentist received a questionnaire, illustrations of carious conditions, and a reply-paid envelope. The questionnaire assessed the stage of lesion progression at which the respondents considered restorative treatment appropriate, their choice of restorative technique and dental material. For all questions, an imaginary 20-year-old patient with low caries activity was described.
Results: After one reminder, the response rate was 40%. Almost half of the respondents would restore an occlusal lesion confined to enamel and 88% would have prepared a cavity for a proximal lesion at the amelo-dentinal junction. The majority of the respondents would not use the Black concepts for cavity preparation. Their preferred restorative material was composite.
Conclusions: Answers indicated a tendency towards early restorative intervention and showed large variations between the treatment decisions of French dentists.