- Research
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- Eser Rengin Nalbantoglu1 &
- Parmjit Singh2
British Dental Journal volume238,pages 122–128 (2025)Cite this article
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Abstract
Introduction Balancing and compensating extractions (BCEs) of primary teeth aims to minimise the development of more severe malocclusions and reduce the need for subsequent complex orthodontics.
Purpose To assess the demographics, practice characteristics and clinical preferences of United Kingdom paediatric dentists for BCEs of primary teeth.
Methods All members of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry were sent an electronic questionnaire. Questions offered frequency options (always/frequently, often/sometimes and rarely/never) for a range of clinical scenarios in patients up to five years and between 6-9 years.
Results Of the 288 specialists invited, 67 (23.3%) completed the questionnaire. Respondents were mostly female (n = 55; 82.1%), with most working in secondary care (n = 51; 77.3%). The majority (n = 54; 81.8%) supported the application of guidelines. A total of 39 paediatric dentists (58.2%) always/frequently encountered BCEs, with 31 (46.2%) performing BCEs in over 40 patients in the past year. Additionally, 40 respondents (59.7%) reported always/frequently complying with guidelines. Data from 65 respondents indicates that 83.6% (n = 56) rarely/never made referrals to an orthodontist, while 65.7% (n = 44) rarely/never consulted an orthodontist (p <0.001).
Conclusions There was variation across clinical scenarios, with good adherence to guidelines in BCEs of primary teeth among paediatric dentists. However, there was limited interdisciplinary collaboration with orthodontists.
Key points
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Balancing and compensating extractions of primary teeth can reduce the need for later complex orthodontic treatment.
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Paediatric dentists follow guidelines for balancing and compensating extractions of primary teeth.
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Orthodontic input is not routinely sought before decisions are made to extract primary teeth.
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Data availability
The authors confirm that the raw data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, with special thanks to Urshla Devalia, Honorary Secretary for providing access to member lists and Neil Sutcliffe for distributing the survey.
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Authors and Affiliations
Assistant Professor Doctor, Biruni University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Paediatric Dentistry, Merkezefendi Mahallesi, G/75.Sokak No:13B, Zeytinburnu, 34015 Istanbul, Turkey
Eser Rengin Nalbantoglu
Professor in Orthodontics, University of Ulster, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, 32‑34 Colmore Circus, Birmingham, B4 6BN, UK
Parmjit Singh
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Eser Rengin Nalbantoglu contributed to study conceptualisation, methodology formulation and data collection, formal data analysis and manuscript writing. Parmjit Singh contributed to study supervision and manuscript editing.
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Nalbantoglu, E., Singh, P. Patterns of balancing and compensating primary tooth extractions among paediatric dentists. Br Dent J 238, 122–128 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-7783-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-7783-z