Abstract
The objective of Atraumatic Restorative Treatment is to prevent carious lesion development and to stop its progression. This can be achieved, among other ways, by placing high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement sealants in pits and fissures in the enamel. A second area of utilisation is the treatment of dentine carious lesions. The weakened demineralised dentine can effectively be removed using hand instruments only. An accurately placed sealant-restoration prevents remaining cariogenic bacteria from reigniting the process of decay and allows the residual carious dentine to remineralise. To achieve good results using Atraumatic Restorative Treatment, an oral healthcare provider should complete a programme of instruction and have command of sufficient knowledge of cariology, the principles of treatment and the available restorative materials. High-viscosity glass-ionomer cement is the material of first choice for the prevention of enamel caries and the treatment of dentine carious lesions, but there is a constant search for improvements to this material and for a qualitatively better alternative.
