Abstract

JARDIM, Juliana Jobim; SIMONETI, Miriam Nunes Doege  and  MALTZ, Marisa. Partial caries removal in permanent teeth: six-year follow-up. RFO UPF [online]. 2015, vol.20, n.1, pp. 39-45. ISSN 1413-4012.

Objectives: the aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of partial caries removal (PCR) of deep caries lesions and restoration in a single session compared to stepwise excavation (SW), after six years of follow-up. Materials and method: the study was conducted in the cities of Porto Alegre and Brasilia, Brazil. The sample included patients with permanent molars with deep caries lesions (inner half of dentin), without periapical lesion upon radiographic exam, positive response to cold test, negative to percussion and absence of spontaneous pain. These were randomly assigned to the test group (PCR), with incomplete caries removal and restoration in a single session, or control (SW). Then, teeth were restored with composite resin or amalgam. The outcome assessed was pulp vitality (sensitivity to cold test, sensitivity to percussion, and absence of periapical lesion). Survival analyzes were performed to estimate the rates of treatment success and define associated variables using the Weibull regression model. Two hundred ninety-nine (299) treatments were performed, with 152 PCR and 147 SW. Results: follow-up was performed only for treatments in Porto Alegre. After 6 years, 127 teeth were assessed. Success rates of 60% for PCR and 32% for SW (p<0.05) were observed. Among the variables analyzed, only type of treatment was significantly associated with the maintenance of pulp vitality, being favorable to PCR. Conclusion: PCR may be a viable alternative in the treatment of deep carious lesions, showing significant improvement regarding the maintenance of pulp vitality when compared to SW.

Keywords : Dental caries.; Permanent teeth.; Partial caries removal..