Utilization of Stainless Steel Crowns by Pediatric and General Dentists

Abstract

Purpose: Dental caries affects 23% of US children aged two to five 1. Extensive caries in children should be treated with stainless steel crowns (SSC); however, disparity exists between pediatric and general dentists in restoration type provided. The purpose of the study was to evaluate utilization of SSCs by pediatric and general dentists through insurance claims. Methods: Data was obtained from a commercial dental insurance claims data warehouse from more than 50 dental insurance plans and multiple carriers in the U.S. A generalized linear mixed effects model tested differences in the utilization of SSCs by the general dentist versus the pediatric dentist. Results: The data included 107,487 general dentists and 5,395 pediatric dentists. The records included 2,555,726 claims for restorations and 440,423 claims for the SSC. Pediatric dentists are more likely to place SSCs compared to the general dentist. The tooth most often to receive a SSC was a primary second molar. The majority of SSCs were placed in children aged six years old. Conclusions: Pediatric dentists are more likely to restore carious primary dentition with SSCs compared to general dentists. Perhaps increasing training at the dental undergraduate level would increase the utilization of SSCs.