Objective: To study the feasibility of providing Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) in schools and in rural areas in China, and to evaluate the acceptance and effectiveness of the treatment.
Methods: The study was conducted among 272 grade one students chosen from four different secondary schools in Deyang of Sichuan Province, China. The mean age of the subjects was 12.5 years. 107 boys and 165 girls were found at the baseline examination to have teeth that were suitable for receiving ART fillings or sealants. The treatments were performed within a month using the glass ionomer Ketac-Molar manufactured by ESPE. Evaluation was carried out at 3 months, one year and two years after treatment.
Results: ART fillings were placed in 295 permanent teeth, and the 1-year and 2-year success rates were 95.7% and 91.1% respectively. ART sealants were placed in another 191 permanent teeth, and the 3-month, 1-year and 2-year success rates were 95.2%, 89.1% and 78.8% respectively. The incidence of recurrent caries was very low after two years, which were 2.1% and 0.6% for the fillings and sealants respectively. ART was accepted by the majority of the students.
Conclusion: ART is a simple, acceptable technique, and is suitable for widespread adoption in China.