Recent Advances in Pediatric Dentistry: Techniques and Treatments

Dear Colleagues,

Pediatric dentistry has undergone a significant transformation, shifting its focus from traditional restorative and surgical interventions to a minimally invasive, preventive, and evidence-based approach. The primary goal is to manage and control dental caries, which remains the most prevalent chronic disease in children globally, while minimizing patient discomfort and anxiety. Recent advancements leverage innovative technologies to preserve healthy tooth structure, promote remineralization, and improve long-term oral health outcomes. Crucial developments include novel caries-arresting agents, regenerative endodontics, and cutting-edge behavior management techniques. This evolution is driven by the commitment to provide children with gentler, more efficient, and personalized dental care, thereby enhancing the overall experience and ensuring a positive relationship with dentistry from a young age.

Background and History 
Historically, pediatric dental care was dominated by the “drill and fill” philosophy for managing carious lesions. The late 20th century brought the pivotal understanding of the caries process as a dynamic continuum of demineralization and remineralization, rather than a simple infection, which spurred the move toward early diagnosis and aggressive prevention. The development of adhesive materials allowed for more conservative restorations. More recently, the field has championed Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID), prioritizing non-restorative treatments (NRCTs) such as Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF). The push for less traumatic care is also shaped by ethical considerations and regulatory efforts to reduce the use of general anesthesia and pharmacological sedation in routine pediatric procedures.

Aim and Scope of the Special Issue
The aim of this Special Issue is to synthesize and disseminate the most current clinical and translational research driving the modern landscape of pediatric dentistry. We seek to provide a comprehensive overview of the technological and pharmacological innovations that enable practitioners to address the challenges of pediatric oral health more effectively and compassionately. The scope is broad, covering everything from personalized prevention protocols and advanced caries risk assessment to the latest in pulp regeneration techniques, dental trauma management, and the integration of digital dentistry (AI, 3D printing, teledentistry) into clinical practice. The Issue intends to be a foundational resource for implementing contemporary, child-centric care models.

Cutting-Edge Research
Current cutting-edge research is focused on several transformative areas:
--Non-Restorative Caries Treatment (NRCT): Extensive investigation into Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) for its high efficacy in arresting active carious lesions in primary teeth with minimal need for drilling.
--Regenerative Endodontics: Exploring the potential of dental stem cells for vital pulp therapy, aiming for tissue regeneration rather than merely repair.
--Digital and Laser Dentistry: The application of laser technology (e.g., Erbium lasers) for painless cavity preparation and soft tissue surgery, and the use of 3D printing and intraoral scanners for precise, customized appliances and treatment planning.
--Advanced Anxiety Reduction: Studies on the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) as distraction techniques to reduce dental anxiety and improve behavior management without heavy pharmacological intervention.

What Kind of Papers We Are Soliciting
We invite high-quality original research and reviews in the following specific areas:
--Randomized Controlled Trials comparing the long-term clinical and patient-reported outcomes of SDF versus traditional restorative approaches in early childhood caries (ECC).
--Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses on the success rates and material advancements in vital pulp therapies (e.g., pulpotomies using bioactive materials).
--Translational Studies evaluating the integration and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models for automated caries detection and risk prediction in pediatric populations.
--Clinical Efficacy Studies assessing novel non-pharmacological methods (e.g., VR, Acupressure) for reducing dental anxiety and improving child cooperation.

Dr. David Ribas-Perez
Dr. Antonio Castaño-Séiquer
Dr. Asuncion Mendoza-Mendoza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• minimally invasive dentistry
• silver diamine fluoride (SDF)
• regenerative endodontics
• dental anxiety
• digital dentistry