Strategies for Restoration of Compromised First Permanent Molars in Children: Challenges and Optimal Timing

TL;DR

This paper reviews strategies for restoring damaged first permanent molars in children and highlights the need for standardized protocols and optimal timing for treatment.

Contribution

The paper identifies key factors influencing treatment decisions and emphasizes the lack of standardized protocols for managing compromised molars in children.

Findings

Both direct and indirect techniques can be used to restore compromised first permanent molars.

Treatment decisions depend on patient cooperation, defect severity, and dental developmental stage.

There is a lack of high-quality research to support evidence-based guidelines for pediatric molar restoration.

Abstract

To evaluate restorative strategies for compromised first permanent molars in pediatric patients, with emphasis on determining the optimal timing for intervention.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted across four electronic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. Among the 127 retrieved articles, 42 studies that met the predefined inclusion criteria were incorporated into the analysis.

Restoration of compromised first permanent molars can be accomplished through both direct and indirect techniques. Standardized protocols for the management of severely compromised first permanent molars are still lacking.

The principal determinants guiding treatment encompass patient cooperation, defect severity, dental developmental stage, pulp status and passive eruption.

High-quality research is required to establish evidence-based guidelines for the restoration of compromised molars in the pediatric population.

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