Hall Technique or Modified Hall Technique of Deep Carious Lesions in Primary Molars

NCT ID: NCT05220865

Last Updated: 2025-10-06

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

268 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-02-01

Study Completion Date

2025-09-01

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to compare the clinical/radiographic success of Hall technique and modified Hall technique in the treatment of primary molars with deep dentine carious lesions in children (3-12-year-old). The secondary aim is to examine the effect of marginal ridge breakdown level on treatment success.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Untreated caries in deciduous teeth affect 532 million children worldwide. According to the Turkey Oral and Dental Health Profile study conducted in 2018, the prevalence of untreated caries in 5-year-old children is 64.4%. The traditional treatment of dentine caries is to restore the teeth after removal of the carious tissue. There is increasing evidence for minimally invasive interventions as an alternative to this traditional operative/restorative treatment.

One of the minimally invasive treatment approaches applied in children is the Hall Technique. Local anesthesia and tooth preparation are not required in this technique, and decayed primary molars are covered with stainless steel crowns without removing any carious tissue. The Hall technique has advantages such as preventing aerosol formation, shortening the treatment time, increasing patient cooperation, and reducing the need for general anesthesia and sedation in noncompliant patients. Its popularity has also increased during the Covid-19 process.

The success of the Hall technique in primary teeth with deep caries has been investigated in a limited number of clinical studies, and it has been observed that the technique has lower success rates in teeth with deep caries than in teeth with shallow/medium depth caries. To answer the question of whether modifying the Hall technique (removing the necrotic carious dentin layer manually with excavators before placing a stainless-steel crown) in deeply carious primary molars will increase the success of the original Hall technique (placing stainless steel crown without any intervention to the carious lesion), a randomized study was designed.

268 healthy children between the ages of 3-12 will be recruited from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry outpatient clinic. Participants who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate will be randomly allocated to Group 1 (Modified Hall Technique) or Group 2 (Hall Technique).

The allocation of patients in each group will be carried out by a random list. The sequence will be generated by a computerized random number generator. Enclosed assignments in sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes will be used as allocation concealment mechanism. Group allocation will be performed by an independent researcher, not involved in the study.

Clinical and radiographic success of treatments will be determined at follow-up appointments at 3rd, 6th and 12th months by one blinded examiner. In follow-up appointments; treatments will be recorded as "successful" (restoration appears satisfactory, no intervention required/ no clinical signs or symptoms of pulpal pathology/ no pathology visible on radiographs/ tooth exfoliated), "minor failure" (crown perforation/ new caries (around margins)/ restoration loss; tooth restorable/ reversible pulpitis treated without requiring pulpotomy or extraction) or "major failure" (irreversible pulpitis or dental abscess requiring pulpotomy or extraction/ inter-radicular radiolucency/ restoration loss; tooth unrestorable/ internal root resorption).

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Dental Caries in Children Tooth Diseases Tooth Demineralization Stomatognathic Diseases

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors
Participant, investigator evaluating treatment success at follow-up appointments and biostatistician will be blinded

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Hall Technique

A preformed metal crown will be cemented on the carious primary molar tooth without any tooth preparation and local anesthesia.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Hall Technique

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

* Only food scraps or debris will be removed from the caries cavity.
* The smallest crown size will be selected that covers all cusps and approaches the contact points with a slight "springback" feel.
* If the contact points are tight, orthodontic elastic separators will be placed through the contacts and the SSC will be placed at the second appointment 3-5 days later.
* The SSC will be loaded with glass ionomer luting cement and placed evenly on the tooth.
* The child will be asked to bite firmly until the crown is pushed down over the tooth.
* If the child is unable or unwilling to bite down on the SSC, finger pressure will be used to seat the crown
* The child will continue to bite on a cotton roll until the cement hardens
* Excess glass ionomer cement will be removed from the crown margins with hand instruments and dental floss.

Modified Hall Technique

In the Modified Hall technique only infected soft dentin tissue will be removed with hand instruments and a preformed metal crown will be placed with Hall technique.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Modified Hall Technique

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

* Food scraps or debris will be cleaned from the caries cavity and infected soft carious dentin tissue will be excavated with hand instruments.
* The smallest crown size will be selected that covers all cusps and approaches the contact points with a slight "springback" feel.
* If the contact points are tight, orthodontic elastic separators will be placed through the contacts and the SSC will be placed at the second appointment 3-5 days later.
* The SSC will be loaded with glass ionomer luting cement and placed evenly on the tooth.
* The child will be asked to bite firmly until the crown is pushed down over the tooth.
* If the child is unable or unwilling to bite down on the SSC, finger pressure will be used to seat the crown
* The child will continue to bite on a cotton roll until the cement hardens
* Excess glass ionomer cement will be removed from the crown margins with hand instruments and dental floss.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Hall Technique

* Only food scraps or debris will be removed from the caries cavity.
* The smallest crown size will be selected that covers all cusps and approaches the contact points with a slight "springback" feel.
* If the contact points are tight, orthodontic elastic separators will be placed through the contacts and the SSC will be placed at the second appointment 3-5 days later.
* The SSC will be loaded with glass ionomer luting cement and placed evenly on the tooth.
* The child will be asked to bite firmly until the crown is pushed down over the tooth.
* If the child is unable or unwilling to bite down on the SSC, finger pressure will be used to seat the crown
* The child will continue to bite on a cotton roll until the cement hardens
* Excess glass ionomer cement will be removed from the crown margins with hand instruments and dental floss.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Modified Hall Technique

* Food scraps or debris will be cleaned from the caries cavity and infected soft carious dentin tissue will be excavated with hand instruments.
* The smallest crown size will be selected that covers all cusps and approaches the contact points with a slight "springback" feel.
* If the contact points are tight, orthodontic elastic separators will be placed through the contacts and the SSC will be placed at the second appointment 3-5 days later.
* The SSC will be loaded with glass ionomer luting cement and placed evenly on the tooth.
* The child will be asked to bite firmly until the crown is pushed down over the tooth.
* If the child is unable or unwilling to bite down on the SSC, finger pressure will be used to seat the crown
* The child will continue to bite on a cotton roll until the cement hardens
* Excess glass ionomer cement will be removed from the crown margins with hand instruments and dental floss.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Medically healthy children
* Participants attending follow-up appointments
* Children having at least one primary molar tooth with deep dentin caries involving occluso proximal surfaces.


* Vital pulp with symptom-free or reversible pulpitis
* Presence of marginal ridge breakdown and accessible cavity with hand instruments,
* Presence of active cavitated carious lesion (Code 3 with Nyvad criteria for caries lesion activity and severity assessment- Nyvad et al., 1999)
* Absence of spontaneous or prolonged pain related with irreversible pulpitis
* Absence of fistula or abscess near the tooth
* Absence of pathological mobility
* Absence of pain on percussion
* Absence of pulp exposure
* Caries lesion located in ½ inner part of dentin radiographically
* Presence of sound dentin layer between the deepest part of the carious lesion and the pulp radiographically
* Absence of periapical or furcation pathologies on radiographs
* Absence of internal and external root resorption on radiographs
* More than ½ of root remaining

Exclusion Criteria

* Any systemic disease, physical or mental disorder
* Children or parents who doesn't accept to participate and sign the informed consent
* Clinical or radiographic signs of pulpal or peri-radicular pathology
* Caries cavity which cannot be accessible to hand instruments
* Physiological root resorption more than 1/2 of the root in primary molars
Minimum Eligible Age

3 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

12 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Ankara Yildirim Beyazıt University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

AYŞE IŞIL CİHAN

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Ayşe I. Orhan, Assoc. Prof.

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Ankara Yıldırım Beyazit University Faculty of Dentistry

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Dentistry

Ankara, , Turkey (Türkiye)

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Turkey (Türkiye)

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Boyd DH, Thomson WM, Leon de la Barra S, Fuge KN, van den Heever R, Butler BM, Leov F, Foster Page LA. A Primary Care Randomized Controlled Trial of Hall and Conventional Restorative Techniques. JDR Clin Trans Res. 2021 Apr;6(2):205-212. doi: 10.1177/2380084420933154. Epub 2020 Jun 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32559403 (View on PubMed)

Boyd DH, Page LF, Thomson WM. The Hall Technique and conventional restorative treatment in New Zealand children's primary oral health care - clinical outcomes at two years. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2018 Mar;28(2):180-188. doi: 10.1111/ipd.12324. Epub 2017 Aug 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28787534 (View on PubMed)

Eden E, Frencken J, Gao S, Horst JA, Innes N. Managing dental caries against the backdrop of COVID-19: approaches to reduce aerosol generation. Br Dent J. 2020 Oct;229(7):411-416. doi: 10.1038/s41415-020-2153-y. Epub 2020 Oct 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33037360 (View on PubMed)

GBD 2017 Oral Disorders Collaborators; Bernabe E, Marcenes W, Hernandez CR, Bailey J, Abreu LG, Alipour V, Amini S, Arabloo J, Arefi Z, Arora A, Ayanore MA, Barnighausen TW, Bijani A, Cho DY, Chu DT, Crowe CS, Demoz GT, Demsie DG, Dibaji Forooshani ZS, Du M, El Tantawi M, Fischer F, Folayan MO, Futran ND, Geramo YCD, Haj-Mirzaian A, Hariyani N, Hasanzadeh A, Hassanipour S, Hay SI, Hole MK, Hostiuc S, Ilic MD, James SL, Kalhor R, Kemmer L, Keramati M, Khader YS, Kisa S, Kisa A, Koyanagi A, Lalloo R, Le Nguyen Q, London SD, Manohar ND, Massenburg BB, Mathur MR, Meles HG, Mestrovic T, Mohammadian-Hafshejani A, Mohammadpourhodki R, Mokdad AH, Morrison SD, Nazari J, Nguyen TH, Nguyen CT, Nixon MR, Olagunju TO, Pakshir K, Pathak M, Rabiee N, Rafiei A, Ramezanzadeh K, Rios-Blancas MJ, Roro EM, Sabour S, Samy AM, Sawhney M, Schwendicke F, Shaahmadi F, Shaikh MA, Stein C, Tovani-Palone MR, Tran BX, Unnikrishnan B, Vu GT, Vukovic A, Warouw TSS, Zaidi Z, Zhang ZJ, Kassebaum NJ. Global, Regional, and National Levels and Trends in Burden of Oral Conditions from 1990 to 2017: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study. J Dent Res. 2020 Apr;99(4):362-373. doi: 10.1177/0022034520908533. Epub 2020 Mar 2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32122215 (View on PubMed)

Innes NP, Stirrups DR, Evans DJ, Hall N, Leggate M. A novel technique using preformed metal crowns for managing carious primary molars in general practice - a retrospective analysis. Br Dent J. 2006 Apr 22;200(8):451-4; discussion 444. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.4813466.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16703041 (View on PubMed)

Innes NP, Evans DJ, Stirrups DR. The Hall Technique; a randomized controlled clinical trial of a novel method of managing carious primary molars in general dental practice: acceptability of the technique and outcomes at 23 months. BMC Oral Health. 2007 Dec 20;7:18. doi: 10.1186/1472-6831-7-18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18096042 (View on PubMed)

Nyvad B, Baelum V. Nyvad Criteria for Caries Lesion Activity and Severity Assessment: A Validated Approach for Clinical Management and Research. Caries Res. 2018;52(5):397-405. doi: 10.1159/000480522. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29506010 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

https://program.eventact.com/viewabstract?Abst=182712&Code=3855981

Cho V, Anthonappa R, King N." Marginal Ridge Breakdown as a Predictor for Pulpal Involvement in Primary Molar". The International Association of Pediatric Dentistry. Global Summit on Early Childhood Caries.

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

E2-21-956

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Time of Treatment in HALL Technique Vs ART
NCT06594770 NOT_YET_RECRUITING NA