[Clinical controlled study on the treatment of deep carious lesions in deciduous molars]

Compared with a step-by-step procedure, the one-step excavation of deep carious lesions in primary molars proved to be the treatment of choice in a clinically, microbiologically and histologically controlled trial. The stepwise method failed to produce any significant reduction in pulp exposure. Sensitivity assessment and percussion findings did not result in a reliable and unambiguous evaluation of treatment success. Histology showed inflammation-free pulps in 67% of the deciduous molars irrespective of the treatment method used. Microbiological examination revealed slightly softened dentin to be significantly more infected than clinically acceptable, hard dentin; although only 59.3% of the cavity floors were free of microorganisms. Chronic pulp inflammations were correlated with the presence of streptococci and lactobacilli, whereas actinomycetes were associated with inflammation-free pulps.