Stepwise removal compared to complete removal for deep carious lesions.

INTRODUCTION

Carious lesions have traditionally been treated by non-selective (complete or total) removal of carious tissue. However, due to its risks and adverse effects, carious tissue removal techniques have been developed, based on the preservation of tooth tissue, including the stepwise removal. The objective of this summary is to clarify the uncertainty about the effectiveness and safety of the stepwise removal technique compared to complete removal.

METHODS

To answer this question we used Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by searching multiple sources of information, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We extracted data from identified reviews, reanalyzed data from primary studies, performed a meta-analysis, and prepared summary tables of results using the GRADE method.

RESULTS AND

CONCLUSIONS

We identified three systematic reviews that included five primary studies, four of them corresponding to randomized trials. We concluded that stepwise removal may reduce the risk of pulp exposure, the risk of signs and symptoms of pulp disease and the risk of restoration failure, but the certainty of the evidence is low.