Atraumatic Restorative Treatment used for caries control at public schools in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil

Aim: The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) as a measure to control caries at public schools in Piracicaba, SP, Brazil, discussing the importance of the promotion of individual and collective health and (2) to evaluate the longevity of ART restorations in the first six months after placement.
Methods: The sample consisted of 173 schoolchildren aged 5 to 10 years from public schools in Piracicaba, treated according to ART approach and reassessed after six months.
Results: It could be observed that after ART, a large part of the students initially fitted into risk E classification (high caries risk) were reclassified into risk B classification (moderate caries), characterized by the presence of restored teeth only (caries free teeth; c = 0). In addition, 81.78% success rate was obtained after six months of ART.
Conclusions: ART was considered effective in health promotion programs, given its importance as a measure to control caries in schoolchildren.