Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of selective carious tissue removal on the fracture strength and failure mode of composite restorations in molars presenting only the buccal cusps. Deep cavities were prepared on the occlusal surface, and the lingual cusps were removed. Carious lesions in the middle of the pulpal wall were artificially induced with acetic acid (pH = 4.5) for 35 days. The demineralized dentin was left intact or was completely removed prior to restoration with a bulk-fill composite (n = 10). Images of the specimens were obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after the caries induction/removal. The mechanical resistance to fracture by axial compressive loading and the failure type and extension were determined. The pulpal wall/composite interface of the fractured specimens was analyzed by OCT. The data were analyzed for significance with t-tests (α = 0.05). The deepest cavities and a more frequent occurrence of pulpal exposure were observed more often for non-selective carious tissue removal. The protocol of carious tissue removal did not affect the fracture strength (p = 0.554). An increased occurrence of catastrophic failures involving the roots was observed for non-selective carious tissue removal. Some occurrences of restoration displacement or cracks throughout the resin-dentin were observed only for the selective carious tissue approach. Selective carious tissue removal is a feasible approach to extensively damaged teeth since it reduced the occurrence of pulpal exposure and root fractures, without compromising the fracture strength.

Highlights

  • MethodologyIn this ex vivo study, the independent variable was the protocol of removal (selective or non-selective) of carious tissue that was induced artificially in human molars by using an acid solution

  • Images captured by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated that shallow cavities had been obtained in the pulpal wall by immersing the specimens in acetic acid for 35 days (Figure 2A)

  • The demineralization process produced soft dentin in the pulpal wall and deeper cavities formed after soft dentin removal with an excavator than that observed for selective carious tissue removal (Figure 2B)

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Summary

Methodology

In this ex vivo study, the independent variable was the protocol of removal (selective or non-selective) of carious tissue that was induced artificially in human molars by using an acid solution. Two-dimensional OCT images were acquired perpendicular to the occlusal surface with buccal-lingual cross-sections with a 6 mm transverse scan This whole system was controlled by a program that was developed based on the Labview computational tool (National Instruments, Austin, USA). Except for the specimens presenting with type IV failure, the specimens were sectioned at the enamelcement junction to expose the pulp chamber and to allow for proper scanning of the pulpal wall/composite interface by OCT The integrity of this interface was qualitatively analyzed. The significance level was set at 95% and the analysis was performed using the Sigma-Stat v.3.5 statistical software package (Systat Software Inc., Chicago, USA)

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