The attitude of pediatric dentists and orthodontists towards the preservation of the first permanent molar with complicated tooth decay.

Relevance of the problem and aim of the work. The first permanent molars are the most caries-prone tooth, especially in young age. Dentists often have different opinion about treatment plan of first permanent molars with complicated decay because of uncertain long-term prognosis of these teeth. Aim of the work: to analyse the attitude of Lithuanian pediatric dentists and orthodontists towards the preservation of the first permanent molars with complicated tooth decay. Material and the methods. The respondents of this study were Lithuanian pediatric dentists and orthodontists. During the study anonymous questionnaires were distributed to dentists. In all 138 questionnaires were filled, the pediatric dentists filled 60 questionnaires and orthodontists filled 78 questionnaires. Statistical analysis was completed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 25 program. Microsoft Office Word 2016 program was used for graphic data presentation. The level of statistical reliability is 0,05. Results. The results of the study showed that 78,3% pediatric dentists and 92,3% orthodontists more frequently choose endodontic treatment and 21,7% pediatric dentists and 7,7% orthodontists more frequently choose tooth extraction of first permanent molar with complicated decay. The degree of tooth with complicated caries roots formation influence 87,2% orthodontists and 100% pediatric dentists when they choose treatment plan. Malocclusion (Angle classification) influence 74,4% orthodontists and 53,3% pediatric dentists and formation of third molars germs influence 65,4% orthodontists and 48,3% pediatric dentists. There are a statistically significant differences between pediatric dentists and orthodontists answers (p