Carious Dentin Treatment For Glass Ionomer Cement Adhesion: A Comparative Study

Carisolv method is a minimally invasive treatment of carious lesions which may improve patient collaboration and allow care of minimal dental cavities, especially in young people. The aim of this study was to compare H3PO4 and Carisolv in vitro treatments of human dentin applying microradiography, SEM examination and X-ray microanalysis to evaluate the capacity of these products to clean dentin surface for glass ionomer cement (GCI) application. Forty extracted permanent molars with dentin caries were treated with 35% H3PO4 or Carisolv gel according to manufacturer instructions. Ten teeth of each group were filled with GCI and then embedded in methyl-methacrylate (PMMA). The PMMA blocks were sectioned, polished and microradiographed. The remaining teeth were dehydrated and desiccated in a critical point dryer. Sections and teeth were then prepared for SEM and X-ray microanalysis. H3PO4 treatment produced unpolished surfaces (probably due to mineral re-precipitation), demineralization of dentin, exorbitant tubule widening, highly irregular dentin surface of cavities, and dentin fragments embedded by GCI. Carisolv treatment produced polished dentin surfaces with open tubules, little crystal re-precipitation, good GCI adhesion and penetration inside tubules. The chemo-mechanical method (Carisolv) seems to be a good technique for treating carious cavities, minimizing dentin injury and providing an appropriate surface for adhesive bonding.