Clinical Practice Guideline on the Management of Caries Lesions in Pediatric Dentistry: Development Protocol

• Grant number: 25/11219-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Pediatric Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Prócida Raggio
• Grantee: Rokaia Ahmed Khairi Elhusseini Elagami
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia (FO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/14363-2 - Clinical practice guideline on the management of caries lesions in Pediatric Dentistry: development protocol, AP.R

Abstract

Dental caries is a highly prevalent chronic disease that affects children and adolescents globally, despite ongoing preventive efforts. Effective management of carious lesions is essential, with a wide range of treatment options depending on the activity, location and depth of the lesion. However, there is a mismatch between the evidence generated in the academic environment and its implementation in clinical practice. In this sense, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are developed to bring the best available scientific evidence closer to clinical practice. Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) are systematically developed statements designed to provide recommendations to guide health professionals in making decisions in specific clinical situations. Internationally, paediatric dental societies and organizations develop open-access clinical practice guidelines to ensure accessibility to all intended users. Therefore, the aim of this work is to develop a CPS to establish recommendations for the treatment of initial, moderate and advanced carious lesions, without pulpal involvement, in children and adolescents up to the age of 18. A systematic literature search will be conducted in databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, LILACS, CENTRAL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, TRIP, ADA Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry and ProQuest for gray literature. In addition, CPS websites such as AAPD, BSPD, GIN, EAPD, SDCEP and Guideline Central will be consulted. A manual search and checking of the reference list of included studies will also be conducted. All included evidence will be critically appraised considering the risk of bias, using tools such as RoB 2 (Revised Cochrane Risk Of Bias), and applying the GRADE approach. The development process will involve a panel of experts, including pediatric dentists, researchers, members of the Brazilian Association of Pediatric Dentistry, methodologists and patient representatives. The reporting of this CPS will follow the reporting guide established by the AGREE checklist, which compresses 23 items into six main domains to ensure transparency and reliability. The GRADE assessment (SoF and EtD), the definition of the strength of the evidence and the formulation of the recommendations will be carried out during the panel meetings, by vote and consensus of the panel of experts. Each recommendation will include a summary of the scientific evidence on which it is based. The guideline will be subject to external review, available in three languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish), and frequent updates to ensure its effectiveness. (AU)