Comparative Evaluation of Two Commercially Available Polymer Burs for their Efficacy on Dentinal Caries Removal -Split tooth study using Polarized Light Microscopy

Abstract

Background: Ultra conservative caries removal now has become an integral part of Minimal Invasive Dentistry. The main objective of deep caries removal is to conserve the tooth structure as well to maintain the integrity of the health of the pulp. Recently burs made of polymers have been proposed as alternatives for metallic burs to selectively remove caries in dentin. Aims: This in vitro, split-tooth, comparative study evaluated the efficacy of two commercially available Polymer burs, namely Poly bur-I (Komet) and Smart prep bur (SS White) for their efficacy in removing deep dentinal carious lesions. The time taken for caries removal was also assessed. Methodology: IO extracted carious mandibular molars were split into buccal and lingual halves. Caries in one half(n= IO) was removed by Poly bur-I (Komet) and in the other half(n= IO) by Smart prep bur (SS white). They were then sectioned in the hard tissue microtome, subsequently manually thinned out and were mounted for evaluation under Polarized Light Microscopy. Results: The qualitative evaluation of the micro graphs revealed that both the polymer burs were equally effective in removing the deep dentinal caries. However the time taken by Poly bur-I was lesser than the Smart prep bur.