The hall technique: a paradigm shift in our care of children with caries

This is the first time Dental Update has produced a special themed issue and I am really pleased that Trevor has chosen paediatric dentistry as the subject. I am also very pleased that so many of the papers come from the University of Sheffield. Caries remains a significant problem affecting the daily lives of thousands of British children. The most recent Child Dental Health survey reported 31% of 5-year-old and 46% of 8-year-old children having obvious dentinal decay experience.1 For the 5-year-olds, 4% had signs of abscesses and 5% of the teeth were clearly unrestorable. Of course it is often overlooked that this is a gross underestimation of the true prevalence of the disease that would be found following a clinical examination supported by radiographs. The families of a fifth of 5-year-olds and approximately one third of 8-, 12- and 15-year-old children reported recent negative impacts on family life of dental disease, for example time off work, lost sleep or feelings of guilt. The Care Index (proportion of decayed teeth restored) is only 13.7%. Those of you who read the Editorial in May are aware that the shocking end result of this is that 66,859 young people had to have a general anaesthetic for the management of dental disease in 2013–14.2