Dentine Caries: Take It or Leave It?

From Volume 27, Issue 6, July 2000 | Pages 272-276

Authors

A. Banerjee

BDS, MSc, PhD, FDS RCS

Clinical Lecturer, Conservative Dentistry, King's and St. Thomas' Dental Institute, Guy's Hospital, London

Articles by A. Banerjee

T.F. Watson

BSc, BDS, PhD, FDS RCS

Reader in Microscopy and Biomaterials in Dentistry, King's and St. Thomas' Dental Institute, Guy's Hospital, London

Articles by T.F. Watson

E.A.M. Kidd

BDS, FDS RCS (Eng.), PhD

Professor of Cariology, Division of Conservative Dentistry, Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' Dental Institute, Guy's Hospital, London

Articles by E.A.M. Kidd

Abstract

In modern dentistry the primary aim when excavating carious dentine is to eradicate only the highly infected, irreversibly demineralized and denatured biomass in order to allow effective restoration of the cavity, restoration of the surface anatomy of the tooth and to prevent disease progression. However, the boundary between this superficial zone of dentine requiring excavation and the deeper, affected but repairable tissue is not always obvious either in the clinic or in the research laboratory. The inherent subjectivity in detecting this excavation boundary can result in clinically significant differences in the quality and quantity of dentine removed by different operators and makes the in vitro comparison of newer excavation techniques more difficult. This article discusses the rationale behind carious dentine excavation and the criteria available to the dentist, both clinical and laboratory, to help identify the dentine requiring removal.

Article