NIH Public Access Author Manuscript Am J Dent. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 July 10.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Published in final edited form as: Am J Dent. 2014 April ; 27(2): 91–99.
Dentist and practice characteristics associated with restorative treatment of enamel caries in permanent teeth: multipleregression modeling of observational clinical data from The National Dental PBRN Jeffrey L Fellows, PhD [Investigator], Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, OR Valeria V. Gordan, DDS, MS,MS-CI [Professor], Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Gregg H. Gilbert, DDS,MBA [Professor and Chair], Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL D. Brad Rindal, DDS [practitioners HealthPartners Dental Group and Investigators], HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research, Minneapolis, MN Vibeke Qvist, DDS, PhD, Dr Odont [Associate Professor], Department of Cariology and Endodontics, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Mark S. Litaker, PhD [Associate Professor], Director of Biostatistics, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL Paul Benjamin, DMD [general dentistry private practitioner], Miami, FL
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Håkan Flink, DDS [practitioner of general dentistry], Centre for Clinical Research, Uppsala University, Västerås, Sweden Daniel J. Pihlstrom, DDS [practitioner and Associate Director], Evidence-Based Care & Oral Health Research, Permanente Dental Associates, Portland, OR Neil Johnson, DDS [practitioners HealthPartners Dental Group and Investigators], and HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research, Minneapolis, MN for The National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group
Corresponding author: Jeffrey L. Fellows, PhD, Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, 3800 N Interstate Ave. Portland, OR, 97227-1110, USA, Office: 1-503-335-6784, Facsimile: 1-503-335-6311, [email protected]. The National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group comprises practitioner, faculty, and staff investigators who contributed to this National Network activity. A list of these persons is at http://www.nationaldentalpbrn.org/publication.php Declaration of Interests: Authors have no potential conflicts of interest.
Fellows et al.
Page 2
Abstract NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Purpose—Current evidence in dentistry recommends non-surgical treatment to manage enamel caries lesions. However, surveyed practitioners report they would restore enamel lesions that are confined to the enamel. We used actual clinical data to evaluate patient, dentist, and practice characteristics associated with restoration of enamel caries, while accounting for other factors. Methods—We combined data from a National Dental Practice-Based Research Network observational study of consecutive restorations placed in previously unrestored permanent tooth surfaces and practice/demographic data from 229 participating network dentists. Analysis of variance and logistic regression, using generalized estimating equations (GEE) and variable selection within blocks, were used to test the hypothesis that patient, dentist, and practice characteristics were associated with variations in enamel restorations of occlusal and proximal caries compared to dentin lesions, accounting for dentist and patient clustering.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Results—Network dentists from 5 regions placed 6,891 restorations involving occlusal and/or proximal caries lesions. Enamel restorations accounted for 16% of enrolled occlusal caries lesions and 6% of enrolled proximal caries lesions. Enamel occlusal restorations varied significantly (p
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Published in final edited form as: Am J Dent. 2014 April ; 27(2): 91–99.
Dentist and practice characteristics associated with restorative treatment of enamel caries in permanent teeth: multipleregression modeling of observational clinical data from The National Dental PBRN Jeffrey L Fellows, PhD [Investigator], Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, OR Valeria V. Gordan, DDS, MS,MS-CI [Professor], Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Gregg H. Gilbert, DDS,MBA [Professor and Chair], Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL D. Brad Rindal, DDS [practitioners HealthPartners Dental Group and Investigators], HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research, Minneapolis, MN Vibeke Qvist, DDS, PhD, Dr Odont [Associate Professor], Department of Cariology and Endodontics, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Mark S. Litaker, PhD [Associate Professor], Director of Biostatistics, School of Dentistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL Paul Benjamin, DMD [general dentistry private practitioner], Miami, FL
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Håkan Flink, DDS [practitioner of general dentistry], Centre for Clinical Research, Uppsala University, Västerås, Sweden Daniel J. Pihlstrom, DDS [practitioner and Associate Director], Evidence-Based Care & Oral Health Research, Permanente Dental Associates, Portland, OR Neil Johnson, DDS [practitioners HealthPartners Dental Group and Investigators], and HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research, Minneapolis, MN for The National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group
Corresponding author: Jeffrey L. Fellows, PhD, Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, 3800 N Interstate Ave. Portland, OR, 97227-1110, USA, Office: 1-503-335-6784, Facsimile: 1-503-335-6311, [email protected]. The National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group comprises practitioner, faculty, and staff investigators who contributed to this National Network activity. A list of these persons is at http://www.nationaldentalpbrn.org/publication.php Declaration of Interests: Authors have no potential conflicts of interest.
Fellows et al.
Page 2
Abstract NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Purpose—Current evidence in dentistry recommends non-surgical treatment to manage enamel caries lesions. However, surveyed practitioners report they would restore enamel lesions that are confined to the enamel. We used actual clinical data to evaluate patient, dentist, and practice characteristics associated with restoration of enamel caries, while accounting for other factors. Methods—We combined data from a National Dental Practice-Based Research Network observational study of consecutive restorations placed in previously unrestored permanent tooth surfaces and practice/demographic data from 229 participating network dentists. Analysis of variance and logistic regression, using generalized estimating equations (GEE) and variable selection within blocks, were used to test the hypothesis that patient, dentist, and practice characteristics were associated with variations in enamel restorations of occlusal and proximal caries compared to dentin lesions, accounting for dentist and patient clustering.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript
Results—Network dentists from 5 regions placed 6,891 restorations involving occlusal and/or proximal caries lesions. Enamel restorations accounted for 16% of enrolled occlusal caries lesions and 6% of enrolled proximal caries lesions. Enamel occlusal restorations varied significantly (p
