Fillings could increase the risk of decay in neighboring teeth, dentists warn, as they say the wrong approach can lead to damage.
Fillings could do more harm than good, senior dentists warned and called on colleagues to ensure they use up-to-date techniques.
Done badly, the practice can increase decay, and mean more fillings in other teeth, dentists said.
Experts believe the trauma caused by the initial filling may explain why neighboring teeth become prone to infection, NDTV reported.
The research was published in the Journal of Dentistry.
Health professionals said it suggested that the techniques being used were a key factor.
Prof. Damien Walmsley, spokesman for the British Dental Association, said: “This study highlights the fact that dental intervention can cause more harm than good.”
“More research is needed to find out why dentists could be causing these problems.”
The study found six out of 10 teeth which were next to a filling had also decayed after five years. Almost 30% of these needed filling.
Walmsley, a leading dental expert at Birmingham University, said: “Once a dentist has gone into a tooth, they may accidentally damage another tooth. Dentists need to keep up to date with the latest techniques to ensure they don’t damage other teeth when they do a filling.”
Experts stressed that patients should have fillings, as there is no other solution when teeth are decayed to the extent they need replacement.
They also said patients needed to be particularly careful about taking care of their teeth after a filling, reducing sugar intake and brushing properly.
Simen Kopperud, of the Nordic Institute of Dental Materials in Oslo, Norway, who led the study, said: “It is highly possible that the intervention by the dentist causes a problem in adjacent teeth. Fillings are not an ideal solution but at the moment it’s the best solution we have.”
Dentists “need to be aware of the risks” and consider greater use of new treatments.
He also urged patients to be vigilant about oral hygiene.
