Hall technique in children: A cross-sectional survey among Indian pedodontists

Abstract

Stainless steel crowns are considered to be a practicable alternative in the restoration of carious primary tooth. This study was done to assess Indian pediatric dentists’ knowledge, attitude, and practice of this technique and related factors with the use of the Hall technique (HT). A well-structured preused online questionnaire was sent to pedodontists practicing in India through various social media groups and emails. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize survey responses. A Chi-square test was employed to check the distribution of responders using the HT. Statistically P < 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant. A total of 210 pedodontists participated in this survey. 66.20% of the participants have <10 years’ experience; majority of the participants are in private clinical practice in urban areas. 97.14% of Indian pedodontists are aware of HT, and 22.54% regularly practice HT. 37% of the participants has apprehension of change in vertical dimension due to ooclusal changes and 35% of the participants fear of pulpal damage due to Hall technique. A significant number of pedodontists who have passed master of dental surgery (MDS) in pediatric and preventive dentistry <10 years ago (P = 0.034*), those from academic institutions (P = 0.048*), and those from urban areas (P = 0.045*) practice HT. A substantial proportion of the respondents were familiar with the HT, but considerably less number of participants use it regularly in clinical practice. There is a scope for increased practice of this technique so that the children in need of treatment of multisurface carious lesions can benefit.