To evaluate and compare the efficacy of mechanical and chemo-mechanical methods of caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth: A SEM study.

Introduction: Dental caries has inflicted humankind from the very beginning and has encompassed every part of the globe, thus justifying the widespread of this pandemic disease. Caries removal conducted by conventional methods involves cavity preparation, which entails the use of high-speed rotary equipment, which has certain inherent drawbacks. To overcome these drawbacks, chemomechanical caries removal technique was developed, which involves softening of carious tissue by chemically altering it so that it can be mechanically removed using hand instruments. Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of conventional and chemomechanical methods of caries removal in deciduous and permanent teeth. Methodology: Thirty freshly extracted human carious teeth were selected, cleaned, sectioned, and examined. The two halves of each deciduous and permanent tooth were divided into two groups according to the method of caries removal used, i.e., the mechanical method and chemomechanical method. In one Group, the carious lesion from one half of each tooth was removed mechanically with a slowspeed round bur, whereas other half of the same tooth were removed by chemo mechanical method. The preparation time for each caries removal technique for each sample was noted. Each sample was rinsed, dehydrated, mounted on stubs, and then evaluated using a scanning electron microscope and images were captured. The data were collected and given for statistical evaluation. Results: Awaited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]