Clinical Evaluation of a Papain-Based Gel for the Chemo-Mechanical Removal of Caries in Children
Recent paradigm shift in restorative dentistry emphasizes the need of minimal intervention and maximum conservation of tooth structure while treating carious lesions . Chemomechanical caries removal (CMCR) is one of the developing treatment modalities in the field of minimally invasive dentistry involving the application of a chemical solution to the carious dentine thus enabling the exclusive removal of carious tissue in the demineralized zone and preserving the underlying sound dentin . A plethora of CMCR methods have been experimented and developed over the years. Early studies involved using a solution, GK-101, containing the active ingredient, N-monochloroglycine (NMG) Later, the GK101 system was modified by replacing the glycine with aminobutyric acid (N monochloro- D-2 aminobutyrate) for the purpose of enhancing its efficacy (GK101E), commercially introduced in the early eighties as a two-bottle system, called Caridex Several clinical trials showed...