A scoping literature review on minimum intervention dentistry for children with dental caries

Background Dental caries in children's permanent teeth remains a global burden. In contrast to the traditional approach of treating the disease through surgical operative intervention, minimum intervention has increasingly been recommended for managing children with dental caries. Aim This scoping review aimed to describe the literature related to the provision of minimum intervention dentistry for children with caries and to identify research gaps. Methods Electronic databases (Medline via Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus) were searched, together with grey literature databases, and key organisation websites. Data was extracted on a piloted extraction template and a thematic analysis was undertaken. Results Sixty-seven relevant articles were identified. No empirical literature was identified that assessed a complete minimum intervention care pathway to managing caries. Five themes were identified from the scoping literature: evidence base, clinician attitude and skills, practice implementation, acceptability and environmental factors. Conclusions The majority of articles were opinion papers. There is a paucity of empirical evidence supporting the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a minimum intervention pathway for children with dental caries in primary dental care. The scoping review has identified some potential barriers to the implementation of such a care pathway, including regulatory and remunerative frameworks and clinical training/education.