Thesis & Dissertations

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of polymer burs and Papacarie® in comparison to hand excavators in caries removal in deciduous molars, and to assess relevant pain perception of each method and the possibility of risk complications at six-month-time lapse. Method: Thirty-three carious deciduous molars fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected in four- to eight-year-old children. Eleven teeth were randomly allocated to each of the three subgroups: Group I (Test group), Group II (Test group) and Group III (Control Group) in which carious dentin was removed with Papacarie®, polymer bur or sharp excavator respectively. Efficiency of caries removal was numerically scored 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 using caries detector dye. Patient perception of the treatment procedure was measured using the “Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale”. Clinical assessment was done at three- and six- month follow-up periods, and radiographic assessment was done at six- month period. Data was statistically analyzed using SPSS v.17 (BM Corp; Armonk, NY) with an alpha level of 0.05 used as a decision point for statistical significance. Results: Polymer bur group showed significantly lower caries removal efficiency and higher pain scores compared to Papacarie® and hand excavator methods. The latter two groups showed statistically comparable results regarding efficiency and inflicted pain in spite of the better clinical performance by Papacarie®. All studied criteria at three- and six- months follow-up were negative regardless of the studied caries removal method. Conclusion: Polymer bur did not improve the efficiency of caries removal nor did it reduce relevant pain perception compared to hand excavators or Papacarie® in deciduous molars. Papacarie® showed the highest potential in caries removal efficiency and in providing a comfortable treatment experience. Yet, this was statistically comparable to hand excavators. None of the studied caries removal methods had detrimental effect on the pulp, peri-apical tissue or tooth-restoration margin over the six-month period. Key words: caries removal- pain- Papacarie®- polymer bur- hand excavator.