Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy as an Adjunct for Clinical Partial Removal of Deciduous Carious Tissue: A Minimally Invasive Approach.

This study aimed to evaluate the use of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) as an adjunct for minimally invasive treatment (partial removal of carious tissue-PRCT) of deciduous carious tissue evaluating its efficacy in reducing microorganisms. For that, a clinical study was design including children with deciduous molars with active deep caries lesions (DCL). PRCT was performed and remaining dentin was treated with 100 μg mL-1 methylene blue solution (5 min) and than irradiated with a low power laser emitting red light (InGaAIP-indium gallium aluminum phosphide; λ = 660 nm; 100 mW; 300 J cm-2 ; 90 s; 9 J). The colony forming units (CFU) count after PRCT and after PRCT + aPDT/mg of dentin were compared for total microorganisms, including Candida spp., the mutans streptococci group, Streptococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. The dentin was classified (color, consistency and humidity). The microbial reduction varied from 69.88% to 86.29% and was significantly observed for total microorganisms, mutans streptococci, Streptococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp (P < 0.001). The dentin type did not influence reduction of microorganisms (P > 0.05). The aPDT presents a promising future for clinical use as an adjunct for the reduction of microorganisms in PRCT of DCL in all kinds of dentin.