Status and progress of treatment methods for root caries in the last decade: a literature review

Abstract

The aim of this literature review is to explore the treatment methods for root caries in laboratory and clinical research in the last decade. A systematic search of publications in PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed. The time-span was limited to the last 10 years and English language. Further retrieval was conducted using the search terms of specific therapies or treatments. Titles and abstracts of identified publications were screened. Reviews; case reports; conference abstracts; letters to editor; dissertation and theses; non-English articles; epidemiological studies, diagnostic methods or decision-making process for root caries treatment without assessment of its efficacy; deep carious lesions with inflamed pulp and require pulp capping or endodontic treatment and research on root cementum were excluded. The remaining papers were retrieved with full-texts. Cross-referencing was performed to identify other relevant articles in addition to manual screening of the bibliographies of the remaining papers. Eighty-two articles were included in this systematic review and full texts were retrieved. Types of studies included laboratory studies and clinical trials. Therapeutic approaches for root caries without risk of pulp exposure can be categorised into non-invasive and restorative treatment. Non-invasive treatments which targeted different causative factors of root caries have been developed in the last decade. Accordingly, several artificial caries model systems have been proposed for the study of root caries in the laboratory. Carious tissue excavation techniques and restorative materials and procedures have been modified to improve the prognosis of invasive treatment. It is of importance to determine the most appropriate therapy for root caries and further clinical trials are needed to draw firm conclusions concerning the efficacy and consistency of the various treatment methods proposed.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

http://ift.tt/2wfJfJU