A Comparative Clinical Study of Different Caries Removal Techniques in Pediatric Patients

The aim of this study is to evaluate the acceptance of pediatric patiens using Er: YAG laser in comparison with the conventional techniques for caries removal. The study was carried out on 100 children between the ages of 9-12, who had class 1 occlusal caries in one of their permanent first molars. The patients were divided into two groups; conventional technical group and laser group. Rotary handpieces was used in conventional technique group, Er:YAG laser was used in the laser group for caries removal. The heart rate of each patient was measured during the caries removal procedure at 30 seconds intervals. The pain during the procedure was determined by VAS. CFSS-DS scale was used to determine the anxiety level of the patients before and after the procedure. FIS was used to determine how patients are disturbed from the smell, taste, sound, vibration and sight of the devices after the procedure. The video segments were collected from the patients during the caries removal and the procedural pain were evaluated by the FLACC scale.