See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233838608 Partial Removal of Carious Dentine: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial and 18-Month Follow-Up Results Article in Caries Research · November 2012 DOI: 10.1159/000344013 · Source: PubMed CITATIONS READS 69 1,124 7 authors, including: Marisa Maltz Juliana Jobim Jardim Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul 129 PUBLICATIONS 3,015 CITATIONS 31 PUBLICATIONS 729 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Paulo Marcio Yamaguti Paris Diderot University SEE PROFILE Karina Podestá Rodríguez 6 PUBLICATIONS 69 CITATIONS 28 PUBLICATIONS 671 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Partial caries removal in deep caries lesions View project Inherited renal diseases and amelogenesis imperfecta View project All content following this page was uploaded by Paulo Marcio Yamaguti on 03 June 2016. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Original Paper Caries Res 2013;47:103–109 DOI: 10.1159/000344013 Received: November 1, 2011 Accepted after revision: September 14, 2012 Published online: November 28, 2012 Partial Removal of Carious Dentine: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial and 18-Month Follow-Up Results M. Maltz a J.J. Jardim a H.D. Mestrinho b P.M. Yamaguti b K. Podestá a M.S. Moura a L.M. de Paula b Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, and b Brasilia University, Brasilia, Brazil Key Words Caries removal Clinical trial Dentine caries Permanent teeth Restorations Restorative materials Abstract Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of partial removal of carious dentine and restoration in a single session (PDR) and stepwise excavation (SW), both of which are treatments for deep carious lesions, in Public Health Services in Brazil. Methods: Inclusion criteria: patients 66 years old, permanent molars with deep caries lesions (having a radiolucency halfway or more into dentine) and pulp vitality but absence of spontaneous pain, positive percussion test, and periapical alterations. The subjects received either PDR (test group) or SW (control group). The radiological and clinical exams were performed after a mean time of 18 months. Outcomes: success was defined as pulp sensitivity to cold test and absence of periapical alterations. Results: Of the 299 treatments performed, 146 were SW and 153 were PDR; 122 were amalgam restorations and 168 resin-composite restorations. There were no differences between the groups regarding the baseline characteristics (i.e. age, gender and family income). After 18 months, 212 evaluations © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel 0008–6568/13/0472–0103$38.00/0 Fax +41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail karger@karger.ch www.karger.com Accessible online at: www.karger.com/cre were performed, which indicated 99 and 86% success rates in the PDR and SW groups, respectively (p = 0.016). Reasons for failure were: PDR – 1 pulpitis; SW – 8 pulpitis; 1 osteitis; 4 necrosis; 1 endodontic treatment. None of the baseline variables were significantly associated with the outcomes. Conclusion: The retention of carious dentine does not interfere in pulp vitality. Data from this 18-month study suggest that the procedure of reopening the cavity to remove the residual infected dentine is not necessary. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel The management of deep caries lesions has been discussed extensively in the literature [Magnusson and Sundell, 1977; Leksell et al., 1996; Bjørndal et al., 1997; Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998; Weerheijm et al., 1999; Maltz et al., 2002; Massara et al., 2002; Paddick et al., 2005; Pinto et al., 2006; Ricketts et al., 2006]. These papers cover different topics, including the appropriate instruments for removing carious tissues, the amount of decayed tissue that needs to be removed [Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998], and the interaction between pulp and dentine [Massara et al., 2002; McLachlan et al., 2003; Lee et al., 2006]. Marisa Maltz Faculdade de Odontologia – UFRGS, Departamento de Odontologia Preventiva e Social Ramiro Barcelos, 2492, Bom Fim CEP 90035-003 Porto Alegre (Brazil) E-Mail marisa.maltz @ gmail.com Downloaded by: UNB Universidade de Brasilia 200.130.19.182 - 6/3/2016 3:35:09 PM a 104 . Caries Res 2013;47:103–109 [Falster et al., 2002; Maltz et al., 2002; Marchi et al., 2006; Oliveira et al., 2006; Maltz et al., 2007; Alves et al., 2010]. The results of the above-mentioned series of publications show that the partial removal of caries dentine in deep lesions is a promising alternative for preserving pulp vitality. In a single-arm observational trial, patients with deep caries lesions in the permanent posterior teeth underwent partial removal of the carious dentine and resin restoration in a single session [Maltz et al., 2002]; after 10 years of follow-up, the overall success rate was 62%. The radiographs showed an increase in the radiopacity of the carious dentine remaining at the bottom of the cavity, indicating a possible mineral gain during that time [Alves et al., 2010]. The number of microorganisms was also reduced after sealing the cavity, reaching the levels usually encountered in cavities in which all carious tissue is removed according to the hardness criteria [Maltz et al., 2002; Orhan et al., 2008; Lula et al., 2009]. In deciduous teeth, after indirect pulp capping, the increase in dentine hardness observed clinically could also be confirmed in vitro with a microhardness test [Marchi et al., 2008; Franzon et al., 2009]. Ricketts et al. [2006] performed a systematic review of the literature regarding the conservative management of carious lesions and found that SW exhibited clinical success. However, no controlled clinical trial analyzing the sealing of carious tissue in deep carious lesions has been performed in permanent teeth. Considering all this information, there is still at least one question that needs to be answered: is there a need to reopen the cavity after partial excavation? The aim of the present multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of partial removal of carious dentine and restoration in a single session (PDR) compared with SW for treating deep carious lesions in Public Health Service Dental Practices in Brazil. Materials and Methods Ethics The study was approved by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul Ethics Committee (protocol 18/05), the Porto Alegre Municipal Ethics Committee (protocol 27/06 and registration No. 001000837067), the Conceição Hospital Ethics Committee (protocol 070/05), and the Brasilia University Hospital Ethics Committee (protocol 045/2005). All participants provided written informed consent. All dental needs required by the subjects enrolled in this research were provided, except prosthetic rehabilitation and orthodontic treatment, during the whole study period. Downloaded by: UNB Universidade de Brasilia 200.130.19.182 - 6/3/2016 3:35:09 PM In order to preserve dental structures as much as possible and avoid irreversible damage to the pulp, some conservative techniques concerning carious dentine removal have been proposed [Magnusson and Sundell, 1977; Bjørndal et al., 1997; Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998; Maltz et al., 2002; Pinto et al., 2006]. Among them is the stepwise excavation technique (SW), which involves the partial removal of the decayed tissue leaving some caries at the bottom of the cavity, temporary sealing for 1–6 months, subsequently reopening the cavity, and fully removing the carious tissue followed by restoration [Magnusson and Sundell, 1977; Bjørndal et al., 1997; Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998]. During the temporary sealing, the remaining carious dentine becomes harder and drier, both characteristics of inactive lesions, and exhibit a low level of bacterial infection [Bjørndal et al., 1997]. The aim of this procedure is to allow the occurrence of physiological reactions in the pulp-dentine complex, including dentine sclerosis and tertiary dentine formation [King et al., 1965; Massler, 1978]; this ensures the protection of pulp tissue during the reentry by avoiding pulp exposure. Many studies have shown that this treatment can achieve a high level of success [Magnusson and Sundell, 1977; Leksell et al., 1996; Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998]. A recent study using SW in the permanent dentition has reported a success rate of 74.1% after 1 year of follow-up [Bjørndal et al., 2010]. The disadvantages of SW are mainly the risk of pulp exposure during the reentering of the cavity [Magnusson and Sundell, 1977; Leksell et al., 1996; Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998; Bjørndal et al., 2010], failure of the temporary filling, and increased cost (2 sessions are needed to complete the treatment). In addition, some patients may never return for the second appointment once their pain problem has been solved. Furthermore, if all decayed tissue is removed in a deep carious lesion and the pulp is exposed, a very common treatment used is direct pulp capping. A retrospective study evaluated the treatment outcomes of pulp-capped teeth after 5 and 10 years and showed that 79.7% of the teeth exhibited necrosis and required postoperative root canal treatment or an extraction after 10 years [Barthel et al., 2000]. Bjørndal et al. [2010] evaluated direct pulp capping performed on permanent teeth with deep carious lesions and reported a success rate of only 31.8% after 1 year of treatment. Similar results were obtained if the teeth were treated with partial pulpotomy (34.5% success rate). In order to avoid these problems, it is proposed that the definitive restoration should be placed during the same session in which the partial caries removal is performed Maltz /Jardim /Mestrinho /Yamaguti / Podestá /Moura /de Paula . . Selection Clinical and radiographic exams Selection and invitation to join the study (n = 299) Analysis Outcome Follow-up Randomization Excluded There was no exclusion after clinical and radiographic selection Randomized (n = 299) Test (PDR) (n = 153) Control (SW) (n = 146) Lost to follow-up 18 months (n = 41) Lost to follow-up 18 months (n = 45) Outcome Pulp sensitivity Outcome Pulp sensitivity Analyzed PDR (n = 112) Analyzed SW (n = 101) Fig. 1. Study design. Sample The sample size calculation was based on a difference in the percentage of success of SW and partial removal of caries after a 5-year follow-up period of 60.9% [Parolo et al., 2007] versus 82% [Maltz et al., 2007] at = 5% with a power of 90%. This in- Partial Removal of Carious Dentine: 18-Month Follow-Up Results dicated the need for 76 restorations per treatment group. Taking into account a dropout rate of 56% after 2 years [Busnello et al., 2001], the maximum number of restorations required was 119 per group. Subjects were recruited in 2 ways: from the examination of patients receiving services and by actively searching for individuals potentially fulfilling the inclusion criteria; the active search was carried out by the researchers in community programs, local schools, and through newspaper and radio advertisements. Inclusion Criteria • Patients who were at least 6 years of age at the time of treatment • Permanent molars exhibiting primary deep caries lesion where the judgment of the clinicians was that complete caries removal would lead to pulp exposure • A carious lesion involving half or more of the dentine detected by radiographic examination • Positive response to the cold test (–20 ° C refrigerated gas; Aerojet, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) • Absence of spontaneous pain • Negative sensitivity to percussion • Absence of periapical lesions assessed by radiographic examination Exclusion Criteria • Subjects with general diseases affecting their caries experience • Cusp loss Caries Res 2013;47:103–109 105 Downloaded by: UNB Universidade de Brasilia 200.130.19.182 - 6/3/2016 3:35:09 PM Study Design This is a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial (registration No. NCT00887952. www.clinicaltrials.gov). Details of the study design can be seen in figure 1. The clinical treatments were carried out by 22 dentists and supervised by the main researchers (M.M., L.M.P., H.D.M., and J.J.J.) over 2 years. The centers involved were located in Brasilia (Federal District, FD) in the eastern-central part of Brazil and Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul, RS) in the south. The RS center was mainly responsible for the research. In the FD center, both sample selection and treatments were performed by 10 dentists from the Brasilia University Hospital. In the RS center, the sample selection and treatments were performed by 5 dentists from the Federal Health Service, 4 dentists from the Municipal Health Service, and 3 dentists (2 postgraduate students and 1 clinician) from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. All dentists were updated and trained before the beginning of the clinical procedures by 2 main researchers (M.M. and L.M.P.). The materials used to perform the treatments as well as the clinical files were supplied by the RS center to all treatment centers, ensuring standardization. Randomization and Blinding Procedures The choice between test and control was done by raffle: the treatment group was indicated on a piece of paper, numbered, and kept in a dark flask; a person other than the dentist executing the treatment selected a piece of paper from the dark flask at the appropriate moment (see Clinical Procedures); the selected piece of paper was not returned to the flask. The filling material was determined on a weekly basis, alternating between amalgam and resin in each treatment center. Blinding of the participants was not possible because the treatments required different numbers of appointments. However, the operators were blinded to the caries removal procedure (see ‘Clinical Procedures’). Clinical Procedures All procedures were carried out under local anesthesia and rubber dam. The treatments were performed as follows: • Access to the lesion by using rotary instruments (if necessary) • Complete removal of carious tissue from the cavity walls (according to hardness criteria) by using low-speed metal burs and/or hand excavator • Partial removal of the soft carious tissue from the cavity floor by hand excavator (only disorganized dentine was removed) [Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998] • Cleaning with distilled water and drying with sterile filter paper • Group randomization: the randomization was performed after caries removal to avoid the possible influence of the amount of carious dentine removed If the tooth was assigned to the PDR group, the following procedure was performed: • The cavity was partially filled with glass ionomer cement (Vitro Fil; DFL, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) • Restoration using amalgam (SDI, Bayswater, Australia) or resin composite (Tetric EvoCeram + Excite + Total Etch; Ivoclar Vivadent, Liechtenstein) was performed using the incremental technique and following the instructions of the manufacturer If the tooth was assigned to the SW group, the following procedure was performed: • Lining with calcium hydroxide cement (Dycal; Caulk/Dentsply, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) • Temporary filling with a modified zinc oxide-eugenol cement (IRM; Caulk/Dentsply, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) • Cavity reopening after a median time of 90 days (25th percentile = 60 days; 75th percentile = 150 days; mean 120 8 120 days) and removal of the remaining soft carious tissue • Restoration following the same procedures as described for the PDR group The time (in minutes) taken to perform each treatment was recorded. Clinical and Radiographic Evaluations Outcomes: success was defined as pulp sensitivity to cold test and absence of periapical alterations (combined outcome); these 106 Caries Res 2013;47:103–109 parameters were assumed to be indicators of pulp vitality. The treatment evaluation was performed after a mean time of 18 months (range 1–18 months). The radiological observations were performed during screening (periapical and bitewing radiography), right after the treatment (bitewing radiography), and then during control visits (periapical radiography). Clinical evaluation of the restorations was carried out by trained dentists right after the treatment and then annually. The results from these evaluations will be published separately. As this study was evaluated as an intention-to-treat analysis, protocol deviations were also included in the study sample. Cases of restoration failure, secondary caries, or incomplete SW (patient did not return for the second appointment) were treated and analyzed within the arm to which they had been randomized. As baseline characteristics, the following items were recorded: age of subject (years), gender and family income (in local currency). Regarding the treatment, the following variables were analyzed: filling material, surfaces involved in the filling, time spent to complete the restoration, and size of the cavity (11/3 the width of the crown in the buccolingual orientation; !1/3 the width of the crown in the buccolingual orientation). All data were recorded in the clinical files and online with a digital system specially developed for the study. http://odonto.cityzoom.net. Statistics The 2 test was used to compare the success rates of the 2 experimental procedures. The correlations between the recorded variables and outcomes were analyzed by logistic regression. Possible differences between followed and nonfollowed cases were also analyzed by logistic regression. The significance level was set at 5%, and the unit of analysis was the restoration. All analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software, version 13.0. Results Of the 299 treatments performed, 146 were SW and 153 were PDR; 122 were amalgam restorations and 168 resin-composite restorations. From the 233 patients included in the study, 78% received 1 treatment, 18% received 2 treatments and 4% received 3 or more treatments. The participants were mainly adolescents; mean age was 17.17 (median 14 years; minimum 6 and maximum 53 years), with a standard deviation of 10.91 years. The majority of the subjects were studying in public schools (72%). The mean DMFT was 7.9 8 5.7. Regarding the socioeconomic status, most participants came from low-income families [Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/]. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to the baseline characteristics such as age, gender or family income (table 1). Maltz /Jardim /Mestrinho /Yamaguti / Podestá /Moura /de Paula Downloaded by: UNB Universidade de Brasilia 200.130.19.182 - 6/3/2016 3:35:09 PM Study Groups The subjects were randomly assigned to test or control groups, which received PDR or SW, respectively. Each of these groups was further divided according to the filling material: amalgam or resin composite. Table 1. Baseline characteristics of subjects according to treat- Table 4. Time taken to perform the treatments according to ments groups and filling material Group/ Subjects Age, years Male Female Family income, variable BRL Treatments Time, min SW (n = 146) PDR (n = 153) 78.3821.3 47.8815.4 146 16.687.5 56 90 PDR 153 16.387.2 54 99 600.00 (380.00, 800.00) 600.00 (380.00, 960.00) Age is expressed as means 8 SD. Family income is expressed as median with quartiles 25 and 75 in parentheses (BRL 1 = USD 1.75). There were no differences between the groups at baseline (p > 0.05). Table 2. Success rates (outcome: pulp vitality) after 18 months of follow-up according to the different groups PDR SW Total Success Failure Total Lost to follow-up 111 (99) 87 (86) 194 (91) 1 (1) 14 (14) 19 (9) 112 101 213 41 45 86 p value 0.016* Figures in parentheses are percentages. * 2 test. Table 3. Logistic regression analysis final model with pulp sensi- tivity as the dependent variable Variable Treatment (PDR-SW) Filling material (AM-RC) Age Gender Number of surfaces Size of cavity Family income p 0.000 0.423 0.589 0.887 0.092 0.120 0.991 95% CI lower upper 0.010 0.503 0.900 0.294 0.833 0.116 1.000 0.268 5.142 1.062 2.887 11.480 1.280 1.000 Age and family income were treated as continuous variables. All the other variables were categorical. AM = Amalgam; RC = resin composite. After 18 months of treatment, 213 restorations were evaluated, 73% of the PDR group and 69% of the SW group (fig. 1), indicating 99 and 86% success in the PDR and SW groups, respectively (p = 0.016) (table 2). There was 1 failure in the PDR group due to pulpitis. In the SW Partial Removal of Carious Dentine: 18-Month Follow-Up Results Values are expressed as means 8 SD. p = 0.0000. group, there were 14 failures: 8 pulpitis; 1 osteitis; 4 necrosis; 1 endodontic treatment. No differences were observed between followed and nonfollowed cases regarding age, number of surfaces included in the restoration, treatment and income (p 1 0.05). The main reason for the loss to follow-up was loss of contact. During the treatment of SW cases, 4 cases of pulp exposure were observed. One pulp exposure occurred at the first appointment of the SW and the other 3 occurred at the second appointment. Three cases were treated with direct pulp capping and 1 case received endodontic treatment right after the pulp exposure. After 18 months, of the 4 patients who presented pulp exposure, 2 presented irreversible pulpitis and 1 patient maintained pulp sensitivity. No pulp exposure was observed in the PDR group. In the final logistic regression analysis, none of the variables exhibited a significant causal influence on the success rate besides the type of treatment (table 3). The time taken to perform the treatments was different between the groups. The PDR group had a faster overall treatment time since treatments took 39% less time than the SW group (table 4). Discussion In the present study, 2 treatments for deep carious lesions, namely, SW performed in 2 (or 3) sessions, and PDR performed in a single session, were tested. After 18 months of follow-up, the results show that PDR was more effective than SW in preserving pulp vitality. Moreover, age, gender, family income, filling material, and number of surfaces of the restoration were not correlated with treatment success (table 3). SW was chosen to be the control treatment because of the possibility of avoiding pulp exposure and its established high rate of success in several studies dealing with deep caries lesions [Magnusson and Sundell, 1977; Leksell et al., 1996; Bjørndal and Thylstrup, 1998]. The alterCaries Res 2013;47:103–109 107 Downloaded by: UNB Universidade de Brasilia 200.130.19.182 - 6/3/2016 3:35:09 PM SW 108 Caries Res 2013;47:103–109 is also reported in longitudinal direct pulp capping studies [Al-Hiyasat et al., 2006; Dammaschke et al., 2010]. Bjørndal and Thylstrup [1998] report a 93.4% success rate of SW after 1 year of follow-up (including pulp exposures at the final excavation), which is a better result than that found in the present study (86.14% success after 18 months). However, in another study involving 1 year of follow-up, Bjørndal et al. [2010] reported a lower success rate of SW compared to the present study. In the present study, most of the failures in the SW group occurred in patients who did not return at the appropriate time to receive the second step of the treatment, leading to temporary filling failure followed by pulp injury. In the present study, if the remaining carious dentine still exhibited active characteristics when the tooth was reopened and offered a risk of pulp exposure during the final excavation, a new temporary filling was placed. After a 30-day period, the tooth was reopened and the final excavation was performed. This may explain the difference between the pulp exposure rates from the study of Bjørndal et al. [2010] (17.5%) and the present study (2.7%). The 95% success rate after PDR found in the present study is concordant with the results of Oliveira et al. [2006] who reported a success rate of 97% after 18 months of follow-up after partial dentine removal in deep carious lesions. Conclusion The retention of carious dentine does not adversely affect pulp vitality. Data from this 18-month study suggest that the procedure of reopening the cavity to remove the residual infected dentine is not necessary. Acknowledgments We thank the National Coordination of Postgraduate Education (CAPES), Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology through its agency, the National Council of Research (CNPq, process No. 40.3420/04-0), the Research Support Fund of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS, process No. 04/1531-8), and DFL (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Ivoclar Vivadent (Schaan, Liechtenstein), SDI (Bayswater, W.A., Australia) and Hu-Friedy (Chicago, Ill., USA). Disclosure Statement All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. Maltz /Jardim /Mestrinho /Yamaguti / Podestá /Moura /de Paula Downloaded by: UNB Universidade de Brasilia 200.130.19.182 - 6/3/2016 3:35:09 PM native to SW is direct pulp capping, which is a much less effective choice for treating profound dentine lesions with a success rate of 20% after 10 years of follow-up [Barthel et al., 2000]. The presence of carious dentine during direct pulp capping is an important factor to be considered when evaluating studies on this treatment. Al-Hiyasat et al. [2006] reported an overall success rate of 60% after 3 years for direct pulp capping; however, this rate decreased to 33.3% if the treatment was performed after carious exposure. The possibility of completely removing carious tissue and causing pulp exposure was then considered unethical. Bjørndal et al. [2010] also reported a low success rate after direct pulp capping in teeth with deep carious lesions (31.8%). It should be stressed that this result was obtained after only 1 year of follow-up. These facts led the present authors to consider SW as the gold standard treatment for deep caries lesions at the beginning of this study. It is important to stress that the present study is the first longitudinal randomized clinical trial on permanent teeth with deep caries lesions using a control group. The other studies involving partial removal of deep caries lesions were conducted without proper control groups [Maltz et al., 2002] or with deciduous teeth [Ribeiro et al., 1999]. Regression analysis indicated no associations between treatment success and the variables studied. Since after 2 years most studies show a high rate of success regarding quality and survival of restorations, it seems reasonable that the number of surfaces involved in the cavity or the filling material used did not have a positive association with the success of the treatments. Maltz et al. [2011] showed that after 18 months of follow-up there was no relationship between the number of surfaces involved and the success of the partial caries removal treatment. However, after 10 years, all failure cases (n = 10) presented class II restorations, whereas from the 16 success cases, 12 presented class I restorations. The age of the patients was also a nondeterminant factor to the outcome evaluated; the patients in whom failures occurred in this study were between 6 and 53 years old. In the present study, 13 and 5 failure cases involved patients !20 and 120 years of age, respectively. In some studies, age is considered an important factor when it comes to deep caries lesions because of the pulp cells being more active in younger teeth [Murray et al., 2002]. Bjørndal and Thylstrup [1998] performed SW procedures in patients in the age range of 11–65 years; after 1 year of follow-up, they found no relationship between age and treatment success. 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