The Effect of Application Time on Effectiveness of Two Caries Disclosing Agents

Introduction: The main goal of treating dental caries is complete removal of carious tissues with maximum preservation of sound dentin before restoring the cavity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of application time on efficacy of an experimental caries detector dye (with polypropylene glycole as the solvent) and SNOOP (with monopropylene glycole as the solvent). Materials and Methods: In this experimental in vitro study, 100 extracted human molars and premolars with occlusal caries, were divided into five groups. In each group, the caries were removed by conventional method (optical and tactile sence) or following caries detector dye application for 10 and 20 seconds. Histological assessment was used to evaluate bacterial existance after caries excavation. Data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. Alpha was set at 0.05. Results: Statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference between clinical removal of caries and using caries disclosing dyes. However, no significant difference between removal of carious dentin after 10 or 20 seconds application of the both caries disclosing dyes was observed. Conclusion: Using caries disclosing dyes for 10 or 20 seconds, improves efficacy of caries removal in comparison with conventional procedure.