Stainless steel crowns (SSC) are the gold standard for restoring extensively carious primary molars. The conventional technique requires caries removal, anesthesia, and tooth preparation.
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PDF 🔽 Hall technique: Complete information for the treatment of carious primary molars ... The objective of the article is to provide adequate information on the Hall technique, indications, contraindications, disadvantages, and the cost-effectiveness of this procedure.In contrast, the Hall Technique seals caries under a preformed metal crown without local anesthesia, tooth preparation, or caries removal, aligning with the principles of minimally invasive dentistry.
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✅ Advantages and Disadvantages
1. Hall Technique
➤ Advantages
° High success rates (~94–97% at medium-term follow-up).
° No anesthesia, drilling, or caries removal, reducing anxiety in pediatric patients.
° Shorter chair time (4–5 minutes vs ~28 minutes for conventional SSCs).
° Well accepted by children and parents.
° Spontaneous occlusal adjustment within weeks.
➤ Disadvantages
° Initial occlusal vertical dimension increase (resolves in 2–30 days).
° Not suitable in advanced pulpal involvement or extensive root resorption.
° Aesthetic limitations (visible metal).
° Requires orthodontic separators in tight contacts, which may cause discomfort.
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Video 🔽 Stainless Steel Crowns: Adaptation and installation - Step by step ... The video that we share teaches us everything related to steel crowns, advantages, disadvantages, and how to select the appropriate crown.2. Conventional Stainless Steel Crowns (SSC)
➤ Advantages
° Long clinical track record, widely taught in dental curricula.
° Effective in a broad range of clinical cases.
➤ Disadvantages
° Invasive: requires anesthesia, tooth preparation, and caries removal.
° More time-consuming (~28 minutes per case).
° Patient discomfort and possible trauma.
° Comparable survival to Hall but requires more resources
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PDF 🔽 Modified Hall technique in hypomineralized molar ... We share the management of severely hypomineralized molars using the modified Hall technique, indicating its advantages, objectives and the step-by-step process.💬 Discussion
The Hall Technique demonstrates comparable or superior survival rates to conventional SSCs in primary molars, with additional benefits of reduced chair time, less invasiveness, and higher patient acceptance. Although initial occlusal changes and esthetics remain challenges, evidence shows these issues resolve or are clinically acceptable. The Hall Technique is especially valuable in anxious children, special needs patients, or resource-limited settings.
✍️Conclusion
Both Hall and conventional SSC techniques are effective for managing extensively carious primary molars. However, the Hall Technique offers a minimally invasive, patient-friendly alternative with high success rates and reduced treatment burden. Proper case selection remains essential to ensure long-term success.
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PDF 🔽 The Hall Technique: Manual for the management of primary molar caries ... We share a manual on the evaluation, application and procedure of the Hall Technique in primary molars affected by caries.📚 References
✔ Altoukhi, D. H., & El-Housseiny, A. A. (2020). Hall technique for carious primary molars: A review of the literature. Dentistry Journal, 8(2), 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj8020035
✔ Innes, N. P. T., Ricketts, D., Chong, L. Y., Keightley, A. J., Lamont, T., & Santamaria, R. M. (2019). Preformed crowns for decayed primary molar teeth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019(5), CD005512. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005512.pub3
✔ Ludwig, K. H., Fontana, M., Vinson, L. A., Platt, J. A., & Dean, J. A. (2014). The success of stainless steel crowns placed with the Hall technique. Journal of the American Dental Association, 145(12), 1248–1253. https://doi.org/10.14219/jada.2014.95
✔ Elamin, F., Abdelazeem, N., & Honkala, E. (2019). Comparison of Hall technique and conventional stainless steel crown techniques for primary molars: A randomized controlled trial. European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry, 20(5), 467–474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-019-00421-3
✔ Ayedun, O. S., Folayan, M. O., & Oyedele, T. A. (2021). Comparison of the treatment outcomes of the Hall technique and conventional stainless steel crown technique. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, 24(4), 548–554. https://doi.org/10.4103/njcp.njcp_507_19
✔ Badar, S. B., Tabassum, S., & Khan, F. R. (2019). Effectiveness of Hall technique for carious primary molars: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 12(2), 132–138. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1622
✔ Hu, S. (2022). Hall technique for managing carious primary molars: A systematic review. Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 123(6), 581–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jormas.2022.01.003
Herkar, P. P., Karkera, R., & Thomas, A. (2022). A comparative study of stress distribution in primary molars restored with Hall and conventional SSC techniques using finite element analysis. Journal of Pediatric Dentistry, 40(3), 205–212. https://doi.org/10.4103/jpd.jpd_25_22
✔ MedRxiv. (2025, May 19). Comparative survival of Hall vs conventional preformed metal crowns in primary molars. MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.18.25327863
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