MALAYSIAN DENTAL JOURNAL Evaluation of Clinical Efficacy of Two Chemo-Mechanical Caries Removal Agents in Primary Molars – A Comparative Study

Background: In children, caries removal by means of conventional rotary instruments is often associated with pain and discomfort. An alternative method to conventional caries removal by means of rotary instruments is the use of chemo-mechanical caries removal agents. Aim: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of two chemomechanical caries removal agents Carisolv and Papacarie in reducing cariogenic flora in primary molars employing bacteriological evaluation. Materials and Methods: Forty children aged 3-9 years were randomly divided into Carisolv and Papacarie group. In each group, caries sample was taken with a sterile instrument under rubber dam isolation before and after the application of the respective chemo-mechanical caries removal agents. The samples were serially diluted and plated onto two different agar plates, Schaedler agar to determine the total viable count of bacteria and MRS agar to determine the viable count of Lactobacilli. The agar plates were incubated for 3 days (Schaedler agar at 37C , MRS agar at 32C). The number of colonies formed were determined and expressed as CFU (colony forming units) per sample. Results: The difference in mean reduction of CFU’s between Carisolv group & Papacarie group was found to be 77.03. Higher mean reduction of microbial counts was observed in the Papacarie group (157.98) compared to Carisolv group (80.95). This difference in mean reduction between the two groups was found to be statistically significant (p< 0.01). Conclusion: Papacarie can be an effective clinical alternative to Carisolv for the removal of dentinal caries in cavitated primary molars.