Recent clinical concepts and techniques of Caries excavation: A review update

Abstract

Over the past years operative treatment of carious lesions has often resulted in considerable removal of dentinal tissue and tooth structure through the rotary instruments like hand-pieces and burs. In the recent years newer techniques for excavation of carious dentine have been developed in an attempt to minimize this excessive tissue loss. The gradual evolution of caries excavation techniques has changed the concepts of cavity preparation in numerous ways throughout the past two decades. Caries excavation has become more efficient and less time consuming now a days, however some inherent drawbacks of the rotary instruments have remained like discomfort to patients, need for local anesthesia, and pressure and thermal effects to the pulp which might damage the pulp etc. The purpose of this article is to perform a comprehensive review of the literature regarding caries excavation methods including the most recently available products and discuss about the clinical efficacy of each of them based on the available clinical evidence.