Pain perception and treatment time of chemo mechanical versus conventional caries removal techniques in pediatric...

Pain and fear associated with rotary instruments remain a challenge in pediatric caries management. Hence, this randomized controlled clinical trial included 30 children aged 6-10 years requiring restoration in primary mandibular molars. Caries removal was performed using an airotor or Carie-solve, with pain assessed using the verbal pain scale and treatment time recorded using a stopwatch. Carie-solve showed significantly lower pain scores, while the conventional technique required significantly less time (p = 0.0001). Carie-solve may serve as a minimally invasive, child-friendly alternative for caries removal in pediatric patients.