Traditional vs. Minimally Invasive Decay Treatments in Primary Molars: An 18-month Split-mouth Randomized Study

Plain-language summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the 18-month clinical success rates of three caries management approaches in primary molars of 60 healthy children aged 4-8 years attending the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Erciyes University, using a randomized split-mouth design involving 180 treated teeth. The three approaches include the Hall Technique, Silver Diamine Fluoride, and the conventional "drill-and-fill" restorative approach using compomer material. The study will also evaluate pain perception during treatment, child behavior, and treatment acceptability from the perspectives of patients, parents, and dentists. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do minimally invasive approaches (Hall Technique and Silver Diamine Fluoride) achieve comparable or superior 18-month clinical success rates compared to the conventional drill-and-fill restorative treatment? * Do minimally invasive approaches result in lower pain perception, improved child behavior, and greater treatment acceptability compared to the conventional drill-and-fill approach? Researchers will compare the three treatment approaches applied to different teeth within the same child to see if minimally invasive methods provide similar or improved clinical outcomes and better patient-centered outcomes over 18 months compared to the conventional approach. Participants will: * Contribute three eligible primary molars per child (180 teeth in total). * Have each tooth randomly assigned to one of the three treatment approaches following a split-mouth design. * Receive all three interventions within the same participant, with each treatment applied to a different tooth. * Attend scheduled follow-up visits at 1 month after completion of all interventions, and at 6, 12, and 18 months (final follow-up) for clinical and radiographic evaluation of each treated tooth. * Provide assessments of pain perception and treatment experience, with additional evaluations completed by parents and treating dentists.

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