Dental Experts Say That Fillings Are Unnecessary For Children
Dental experts in the UK have suggested that fillings are unnecessary for young children.
Research carried out at the University of Manchester revealed that around 40 per cent of 5 year olds in the UK have tooth decay and 10 per cent have a filling.
Some dental experts have suggested that fillings are unnecessary because the milk teeth are due to fall out anyway; this is the case when tooth decay is not causing any pain or disruption to day to day life. Dentists believe that fillings put children through an unnecessary procedure in cases where the child is not suffering from any symptoms as a result of tooth decay.
The research showed that only 6 per cent of parents would consider filling treatment for their child and most would prefer their child’s dentist to monitor the situation closely without actually providing any treatment, unless their child is suffering.
Dr Gail Topping, from the University of Dundee, said that there is no formal guidance on treating children with decay and dentists make the decision whether or not to fill the milk teeth; each case is different and dentists must consider the benefits and risks for each patient.
Dr Kamini Shah, from the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry, said that there are two “schools of thought”; one which suggests that filling milk teeth helps to prevent dental pain and enable children to live their lives pain-free and another, which suggests that there is little evidence to support filling milk teeth.
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