[Definitive diagnosis of proximal caries by temporary separation of posterior teeth]

The authors present a review of diagnosis methods of approximal carious lesions and emphasises the necessity, in cases of incipient carious lesions, of using dental temporary separation to provide an inequivocal diagnosis. The temporary tooth separation offers preservation of dental structure and permits application of preventive and restorative procedures and monitoring incipient carious lesions. Selected methods of temporary dental separation are presented.