A simple technique using a preformed crown offers an improved and effective method to fight tooth decay in primary molars, according to research published online in the open access journal BMC Oral Health.

The Hall Technique uses preformed metal crowns pushed onto teeth with no local anaesthesia or drilling. The decay is sealed into the tooth by the crown and, as sugars in the diet are unable to reach it, the decay slows or even stops.

The research, which was carried out be a team at Dundee Dental Hospital and School, treated 132 children who each had one tooth filled with a traditional filling and one tooth treated using the Hall Technique. The majority of dentists, carers and children preferred the Hall Technique to traditional 'drill and fill' methods.

Dr Nicola Innes, who led the research team, explained, 'There has been a lot of debate in the UK over the best method to tackle tooth decay in children's molars. Preformed metal crowns are not widely used in Scotland as they're not viewed as a realistic option by dentists. We found, however, that almost all the patients, parents and dentists in our study preferred the Hall Technique crowns and also children benefited from them.'

Around one in two children in Scotland has visible tooth decay at the age of five and most have to accept toothache as part of normal everyday life. Two years after receiving the Hall Technique crown, however, the children's dental health significantly improved, with less pain and fewer abscesses and failed fillings than with traditional filling methods.

Dr Innes concluded 'Children, parents and dentists prefer the Hall Technique. It allows dentists to achieve a filling with a high quality seal, which means we can safely leave decay in baby teeth, and not be forced to drill it away. Hall crowns will not suit every child, or every decayed tooth in a child's mouth, but dentists may find it a useful treatment option for managing decay in children's back teeth.'

The paper, The Hall Technique: a randomized controlled clinical trial of a novel method of managing carious primary molars in general dental practice; acceptability of the technique and outcomes at 23 months (BMC Oral Health 2007; 7: 18, DOI 10.1186/1472-6831-7-18) can be viewed online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcoralhealth/.

The authors' manual on the Hall Technique is freely available at http://www.scottishdental.org/resources/HallTechnique.htm.