Current trends in the conservative treatment of deep-caries lesion with risk of pulp exposure

Abstract

Objective: to present a review of the literature on the current state of the art of minimal intervention and conservation of hard dental tissues and pulp vitality in teeth with deep caries lesion and risk of pulp exposure. Material and Methods: we searched the databases PubMed and SCOPUS, using the descriptors dental caries in dentin, deep caries lesion and conservative treatment, between 1960 and 2018. Results: of the 888 articles initially identified, 52 were selected following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conclusion: there is evidence that the current conservative techniques of stepwise excavation and selective caries removal prevents pulp exposure and maintains pulp vitality, thus improving the prognosis of these teeth. However, because they are innovative techniques, although presenting evidence-based scientific support in the English literature, no articles were found in Portuguese language, making it difficult to access and increase the use of these techniques as a routine by dentists in Brazil.

Keywords

• dental caries
• dentin
• dental pulp
• dental pulp capping
• dental pulp exposure.