Clinical evaluation of a chemomechanical method for caries removal in children and adolescents

Objective. The purpose of this study was to make a clinical comparison of the chemomechanical method for caries removal and the conventional rotary instruments technique when used in children and adolescents. Material and Methods. The study comprised 120 patients aged 3-17 years randomized into two groups: caries were removed chemomechanically in 60 patients and 60 patients received conventional treatment with rotary instruments. The outcome variables were: clinically complete caries removal, pain during caries removal, need for local anesthesia, treatment time, preferences of patients, and clinical success of the restorations during the 12-month evaluation period. Results. Complete caries removal was achieved in 92% of chemomechanically treated teeth and in all teeth treated with rotary instruments (p>0.05). The chemomechanical method significantly reduced the need for local anesthesia (p<0.001). Eighty-five percent of patients treated with Carisolv and 47% treated with rotary instruments were satisfied with the treatment (p<0.05). The mean time for chemomechanical caries removal was 11.2 +/- 3.3 min and 5.2 +/- 2.8 min for caries removal with rotary instruments (p<0.001). At the end of the 12-month evaluation period, there was no observed influence of the caries removal method on the survival of the restorations. Conclusions. The chemomechanical caries removal technique is an adequate alternative to the conventional rotary instruments method and is advantageous in pediatric dentistry..