Dent Res Oral Health 2020; 3(4): 190-201 DOI: 10.26502/droh.0033 Dental Research and Oral Health - Vol. 3 No. 4 – December 2020 190 Research Article Restorative Direct Management of Cavitated Proximal Carious Lesions of Permanent Molars using Elastic Separators in Children and Adolescents Berdouses ED 1* , Agouropoulos A 2 , Sifakaki M 3 , Lagouvardos P 4 , Oulis CJ 5 1 Paediatric Dentist, Athens, Greece 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatric Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece 3 Paediatric Dentist, Clinical Instructor, Department of Paediatric Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece 4 Professor Emeritus, Department of Operative Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece 5 Professor Emeritus, Department of Paediatric Dentistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece * Corresponding Author: Berdouses Elias, Paediatric Dentist, 22 Kodrou str, Halandri, Athens 152 31, Greece, Tel: +30 210-6756420, +30-6944886113; E-mail: elias@paedoclinic.gr Received: 02 October 2020; Accepted: 09 October 2020; Published: 28 October 2020 Citation: Berdouses ED, Agouropoulos A, Sifakaki M, Lagouvardos P, Oulis CJ. Restorative Direct Management of Cavitated Proximal Carious Lesions of Permanent Molars using Elastic Separators in Children and Adolescents. Dental Research and Oral Health 3 (2020): 190-201. Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the longevity of direct amalgam and composite restorations placed on the mesial surface of permanent molars after separation with elastic separators. Design: One hundred and seventy seven (177) restorations placed on the mesial surfaces of first and second permanent molars in 140 patients aged 10-25 years-old (median age 12.2 years) were followed for a period of 1 to 12 years (median time 4.3 years). Eighty four (84) amalgam and 93 composite resin restorations were placed randomly on carious lesions that were detected by bite-wing x-rays at the dentino-enamel junction and verified as cavitated after tooth separation. Restorations were evaluated clinically according to the modified Ryge criteria. Flexible parametric propor- tional-hazards and proportional-odds models for censored survival data was used to analyze the data, with application to prognostic modelling and estimation