Selective Removal to Soft Dentine vs Selective Removal to Firm Dentine for Deep Posterior Caries Lesions

Removal of infected dentin contaminated with bacteria and remaining affected dentin detected as firm is the conventional strategy for the management of cavitated caries lesions. Recently, this strategy is termed as selective removal to firm dentin (SRFD) and seems to increase the potential risk of pulp exposure or loss of pulp vitality for deep caries lesions radiographically extending ¾ of dentin tissue. Alternatively, selective removal to soft dentine (SRSD) that refers to removal of caries tissue at the periphery of the cavity to firm dentin and remaining caries tissue detected as soft or leathery in proximity with the pulp might be a less invasive excavation method for deep caries lesions to maintain pulpal health. However, information on clinical advantages or disadvantages of SRSD and SRFD excavation methods is sparse and mostly rely on studies conducted for primary teeth. Moreover, clinical trials are needed to demonstrate the combined effect of carious removal strategies and calcium silicate-based materials. The aim of this study is comparison of clinical success rates of SRSD and SRFD techniques in posterior deep caries lesions. The primary outcome of the study is comparison of clinical success of SRSD and SRFD techniques by clinical and radiographic examination after 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. The secondary outcome of the study is to investigate whether or not calcium silicate-based materials have an effect on the success rate of the treatment.