Comparison of the effectiveness of the hall technique and orthodontic bands in managing extensive of carious lesions in deciduous molars of children with cognitive impairments—randomized clinical trial

Background: This study investigated the efficacy of the Hall Technique (HT) compared to orthodontic band cemented with glass ionomer (BGIC) in managing caries in primary molars of children with disabilities. A total of 58 children aged 4 to 10 years were included. Methods: Participants were randomly divided into two groups (n = 50 each): control group—HT and experimental group—BGIC. Block randomization was used. Follow-ups were conducted at 6 and 12 months. Caries progression was assessed using the Chi-Square test between groups and the McNemar test for intra-group comparisons over time. Procedure time was analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk and Mann-Whitney tests due to non-parametric data distribution. Results: After 6 months, no significant differences were observed in caries progression between groups. However, at 12 months, HT showed 92.1% success vs. BGIC 67.6% (p = 0.009). This group’s progression was significantly greater at 12 months compared to 6 months (p = 0.025). No significant differences in procedure time was observed between the groups. Conclusions: Although BGIC represents a viable alternative for treating extensive caries in primary molars, the HT technique significantly reduced caries lesion progression over 12 months. Clinical Trial Registration: The study protocol was registered in the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (ReBEC), available at https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-825qxqw and under the identification: U1111-1311-7698.