Abstract

Background: In the management of deep caries lesions on primary teeth, conventional restorative treatment has been the total removal of carious dentin, a technique with risk of pulp exposure. Currently, a conservative technique recommended is the partial caries removal, that consists on removing part of the carious dentin in the pulp floor, to perform the final and hermetic restoration, resulting in lesion arrest and remineralization of dentin. Aim: This study aims to compare clinically and radiographically total and partial removal of carious tissue, to achieve a better therapeutic alternative. Design: Twenty-nine patient records were selected from Paediatric Dentistry Clinic with one or more primary molars with deep car- ies lesions, with total or partial removal of carious tissue. Clinical and radiographic follow-up was performed at 3, 6, 18 and 24 months. Results: A total of 67 teeth were analyzed, 32 with total removal and 35 with partial removal of caries tissue. The success rates of both groups at 3 and 6 months were 100%. At 18 months, there was one radiographic failure with partial removal. At 24 months, there were 6 cases of failure, 3 with total removal, 2 clinical and 1 radiographic failures, and 3 radiographic failure with partial removal. There were no statistical differences between the success rates of both treatments. Conclusions: Both treatments have a high percentage of clinical and radiographic success, but partial removal is a minimally invasive technique, with advantages in the management of deep caries lesions on primary teeth.