Distinction between Two Types of Dentine Lesion on the Occlusal Surface without Cavitation Enamel Under

Abstract

Introduction: Although caries prevalence has decreased considerably, the occlusal surfaces still represent areas with higher proportion of experience of this injury. Moreover, currently the clinical and scientific community have found a high occurrence of occlusal dentin lesions in apparently healthy enamel. These lesions have been called hidden caries because they show clinically the occlusal surface without cavitation and with evident manifestation in dentin when executing radiographic examination. Objective: The aim of this work is to distinguish two types of dentin lesion, no cavitation in enamel, with a new name, almost hidden caries, for all lesions in enamel dentin cavitated not, but with color change, visible through the detailed visual inspection, classifying the two separate entities hidden caries, hidden caries and almost hidden caries, based on the method of diagnosis. The differentiation between the lesions will be illustrated by photographs, emphasizing the clinical aspects of both situations. Conclusion: The introduction of this new in the scientific name is very relevant given that polls show a relatively high prevalence of hidden caries because they take into account only the absence of cavitation in enamel without notice of the change in shape and color . However, it appears that the majority of these injuries is almost hidden caries therefore detectable by detailed visual inspection, and that the hidden caries, found at a lower rate is not noticeable through visual detail, but fully visible by radiography. The clinical evidence imposes the need for constant evolution and change of concepts and surgical techniques.