Comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of Silver-modified atraumatic restorative technique (SMART) with Atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) on management of dental caries among 5 years old School children: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

The data collection procedure will be as follows: - Participants fulfilling the inclusion criteria will be selected. At Baseline Demographic Details of the participants and Informed consent from parents or guardians will be taken. ICDAS Score of the tooth (D and/or E) will be recorded. Using Coin Toss Method, one side of the Oral Cavity will be subjected to SMART and other side will be subjected to ART. Isolation of tooth with the help of Cotton rolls and Excavation of the soft caries with spoon excavator will be done. Group A (SMART)- 38% SDF will be applied directly to the lesion with an applicator tip, left for 2 minutes, and restored with GIC. Group B (ART)- Cavity will be filled with GIC and with the help of finger-press technique excessive restorative material along the slopes of the cusps will be removed. At Follow up At 1, 3 and 6 Months the teeth will be assessed using USPHS Criteria32 (Annexure VI) and ART restoration criteria33 (Annexure VII) -If there is any dislodgement/ fracture of the restorative material and observance of secondary caries under the restoration the participant will be excluded after re-restoring the tooth.