Contemporary carious tissue removal: terminology and techniques

Abstract

Learning Objectives: To understand and be familiar with: • the contemporary terms used to describe the procedures and end-points of carious tissue removal;the different approaches for removing carious tissues ; • the rationale behind the choice of using different approaches for removing carious tissues- the rationale behind the choice of using different end-points in removal of carious tissues. Abstract: Terms recommended by the International Caries Consensus Collaboration for describing the approaches and end-points of carious tissue removal will be presented. The end-points are related to the clinical manifestations of the carious lesion, including soft, leathery, firm, and hard dentine. The approaches are: 1) selective removal of carious tissue to soft dentine or firm dentine; 2) stepwise removal - including stage 1, selective removal to soft dentine, and stage 2, selective removal to firm dentine later; and 3) nonselective removal to hard dentine. Adoption of these terms will facilitate mutual understanding and communication among dental researchers, educators and clinicians.