Treatment of Root Caries in an Older Irish Population.

This study will involve filling teeth which have decay on their roots with three different filling materials. Patients will attend Cork University Dental School and hospital for a clinical examination and to complete a questionnaire describing how they feel about the comfort and appearance of their teeth. Patients will be asked to provide a sample of saliva by spitting into a tube. This saliva will be tested to see what levels of bacteria are present and how well their saliva neutralises acid in their diet. This is used to assess how high or low the patient's risk of dental decay is. They will also complete a questionnaire about the amount of sugar in their diet and how often they clean their teeth. If the exam shows that any teeth are so decayed that they cannot be filled, the patient will then be offered extraction of these teeth. All treatment will be discussed with the patient. Patients will be randomly assigned one of the three materials and this material will be used for their fillings. Patients will not know which of the three materials they received but all three materials are already in use in dentistry and all of the elements of each treatment plan are well recognised, routine dental procedures. After all the treatment has been completed, each patient will be shown how best to take care of their teeth and how to manage their sugar intake to reduce their risk of further decay. Patients will be given appointments to return for review at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months after treatment. This will include a dental examination and dental impressions will be taken. These are used to measure how the restorative materials wear over time. Patients will also be asked to complete again the two questionnaires that they completed at their first visit to see if any of their answers have changed.