Comparison of chemomechanical caries removal using Papacárie versus conventional method in children

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of chemomechanical caries removal (Papacárie), compared with the conventional method. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of 50 primary molars selected from 25 healthy children (mean age 7.6 ± 1.1). Each patient had at least two primary molars with approximately equal-size caries lesions. Both treatments were carried out in the same session. Before and after treatment, fluorescence values were obtained using DIAGNOdent Pen and time needed for caries removal was recorded. Each patient was asked whether he/she felt any pain, requested for local anesthesia, which treatment he/she preferred, and behavior of the patient during caries removal was assessed. Data were analyzed using McNemar, Wilcoxon signed rank, and Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: The clinical evaluation revealed that all the cavities were caries free after both techniques. Comparison of the difference in fluorescence values showed that readings were lower after conventional method ( P < 0.05). The time taken for chemomechanical caries removal was approximately 2 times longer ( t -test). There was no difference between two methods in terms of pain and patient behavior ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: Chemomechanical caries removal and conventional method exhibited similar efficacy in caries removal.