Current status of atraumatic restorative treatment in restorative dentistry

Abstract

This review highlights the importance of atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) as a minimal intervention procedure for managing dental caries (pit and fissures caries) and restoring cavitated dentin carious lesions using restorative materials such as glass-ionomer cement. ART technique uses only hand instruments and requires no electricity. Its low cost and simplified protocol makes it more convenient and suitable for use in remote areas as well as underdeveloped nations with insufficient resources to provide the adequate restorative care. This technique can be used in all population groups including children, older people, and disabled. In the present scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dental profession is facing a challenging task in managing restorative needs of the patients all over the world. ART technique is a safe and effective approach to manage the progression of carious lesions. As this technique involves no aerosol generation during the procedure, it should be well adopted in our routine practice by taking necessary precautions. The survival and retention rates of ART also appear to be fairly acceptable based on various studies.