A cross-sectional survey investigating care of the primary dentition by paediatric dental specialists in Japan and the UK.

Objective:   The aim of this study was to compare treatment decisions in primary dentistry between Japanese and UK-based paediatric dental specialists.

Methods:   Four clinical scenarios involving a 6-year-old boy were used to ascertain the clinical opinions of participants. The scenarios presented: (i) a single distal cavity, vital and without pain; (ii) a distal occlusal cavity, vital and without pain; (iii) a large distal occlusal cavity, non-vital and without pain, and (iv) a large distal occlusal cavity, non-vital and painful. Participants were 104 Japanese and 115 UK-based paediatric dental specialists.

Results:   In the first scenario, some UK specialists showed a preference for vital pulpotomy with a stainless steel crown (10.3% compared with 0.9% in Japan). In the second scenario, Japanese participants were more likely than UK participants to offer traditional restorative care (73.6% vs. 24.1%). In the third scenario, 54.7% of Japanese specialists chose to open the pulp chamber, whereas 51.8% of UK specialists selected non-vital pulpotomy with stainless steel crown. In the final scenario, 74.0% of Japanese specialists chose to open the pulp chamber, whereas 51.8% of UK specialists chose not to offer any treatment other than extraction.

Conclusions:   Japanese and UK specialists in paediatric dental care choose different interventions for the same clinical problems.