The key facts about FiCTION

Delegates at last month’s British Society of Paediatric Dentistry’s (BSPD) annual conference in Dundee were presented with the long-awaited results of the FiCTION trial that was set up to test three different approaches to the management of tooth decay (dental caries) in children.

The trial team is currently awaiting feedback from funders – the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme – who must endorse their interpretation of the results. Only when they have the approval of the funders can the results be made public.

However, delegates at the conference heard about the trial in detail and learned that a key finding is that it’s the trust engendered by the dentist – who is providing the care and delivering preventive advice – that is critical to any outcome. They also learned that once a child has developed caries, they are likely to experience pain and/or infection. Intensive prevention should be targeted to the child and its parents.