'You just don't have the time to keep bringing them back, bringing them back': the experience of primary care dental professionals in England when treating young children with carious teeth

Laura Timms; Helen Rodd; Chris Deery; Paul Brocklehurst; Zoe Marshman

doi:10.1038/s41415-023-6229-3

'You just don't have the time to keep bringing them back, bringing them back': the experience of primary care dental professionals in England when treating young children with carious teeth

Br Dent J. 2023 Sep 4. doi: 10.1038/s41415-023-6229-3. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Laura Timms¹, Helen Rodd², Chris Deery³, Paul Brocklehurst², Zoe Marshman³

Affiliations

¹ School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. l.timms@sheffield.ac.uk.
² Consultant in Dental Public Health, Primary Care Division, Public Health Wales, 10 Llys Castan Parc Menai, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom.
³ School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.

PMID: 37666984
DOI: 10.1038/s41415-023-6229-3

Abstract

Introduction Caries in the primary dentition affects around one-quarter of children in England. There is uncertainty and varying practice regarding the management of these children within NHS primary dental care. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is an approach that is not well-adopted nationally. This study aims to explore the factors affecting treatment choices for caries management in young children within primary dental care, including the use of SDF.Methods Semi-structured interviews were carried out via video conferencing with general dental practitioners and therapists working in NHS primary care. The topic guide covered factors which influence the management of caries in primary teeth, with SDF-specific questions. These were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Results A total of 13 interviews were conducted with dental professionals working across Yorkshire and the East Midlands. Decision-making for caries management was dependent on inter-related factors, which also influenced SDF use. Treatment decisions were taken on a case-by-case basis, but were influenced by the child, their parents, the dental professional and service factors, along with the clinical technique.Conclusion Many individual- and system-level factors influence treatment decisions for early childhood caries. However, issues relating to remuneration and governance appear to be specific barriers to adoption of SDF in primary dental care.