A Review of the Work of Dr. Jo E Frencken: The Pioneer of Atraumatic Restorative Treatment for Dental Caries

Dr. Jo E Frencken is a stalwart in preventive dentistry and cariology. He has worked extensively in diagnosing, treating, and assessing outcomes related to dental caries. He developed the concept of a novel technique known as atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) in 1986 for caries management. ART for field settings, where only hand instruments are used for caries removal, is a benchmark discovery made in the field of dentistry. His idea of ART has been adopted by the World Health Organization and has been included as a part of the Basic Package for Oral Care (BPOC) and practiced globally. He has dedicated his research to dental public health, caries prevention, and treatment modalities in various settings for over 40 years.