Resumo

ARAUJO, Natália Costa et al. Considerations of partial caries removal. IJD, Int. j. dent. [online]. 2010, vol.9, n.4, pp. 202-209. ISSN 1806-146X.

The mechanical removal of carious tissue and its replacement by restorative materials has long been practiced. However, this technique presents drawbacks such as the possibility of increase the size of the cavity and exposure of the pulp, being difficult to assess exactly how much of dentin should be removed. Indirect pulp capping is a technique of partial caries removal followed by the final restoration of the tooth. In this method, microorganisms remaining of decay tissue become unviable due to the disturbance of the biofilm and cavity isolation. The aim of this study was analyze the possibility of success of indirect pulp capping and evaluate which dental materials are suitable for use in such circumstances. Literature review from January 2009 to January 2010 was conducted in Medline, PubMed, Lilacs and Scielo databases using the following keywords: "stepwise excavation", "partial caries removal", "dental pulp capping" and "biocompatible materials". Articles based on the proposed and related topics were included (partial caries removal, indirect pulp capping and stepwise excavation). It was concluded that indirect pulp capping is feasible and should be considered for acute and deep carious lesions control. The dental materials usually associated with this technique are the cements of calcium hydroxide and glass ionomer, however, effectively tooth sealing arrests lesion progression independent of the capping material used. There is no development of the carious lesion, but its inactivation.

Palavras-chave : Stepwise excavation; Partial caries removal; Dental pulp capping; Biocompatible materials.