The Hall Technique 10 years on: its effect and influence

Abstract

Dental caries in early childhood can have a very significant effect not only on the oral health of young children but on their
quality of life and that of their families. Added to this are the long-term infective risks to the host of untreated caries in
primary teeth but also the risk of damage to successor permanent teeth. Traditional restoration of damaged primary teeth
has been shown to have only moderate outcomes depending on the techniques and materials used and the ability of
children to cooperate because of age or other factors. The Hall technique has outperformed other techniques in randomised
clinical trials. In this Opinion Article I will take a look back at the Innes et al. paper, first published in this Journal in 2006,
that introduced the Hall Technique and the subsequent scientific literature which provided us with high quality scientific
evidence of the efficacy of the technique. I will evaluate how this new technique has affected the management of early
childhood caries and hence its influence on wider oral and general health.