Minimally Invasive Dentistry through the Partial Removal of Carious Dentin in Deep Cavities

In Modern Dentistry, restorative surgical procedure should be seen as part of treatment, combined with measures of prevention and health promotion. Most conservative cavities overlap with unnecessary wear, from extensions and preventive of dental cavities using predetermined geometric shapes, limited to the extent of the carious process. Invasive protocols should be deprecated, when possible, and if the damage is already cavitated, carious tissue must be removed conservatively, preserving the largest possible amount of tooth structure. This study aimed to perform a critical review of the literature concerning the partial removal of carious dentin in deep cavities. The literature review was performed in Medline, PubMed, SciELO and Cochrane, using the keywords "dental caries", "carious dentin removal", "deep caries lesion", "dental cavity preparation", "dentin caries" , "dental pulp capping" and "dental cavity lining." We selected articles, dissertations / thesis, with the inclusion criteria of having written in Portuguese and / or English and been published in the past 20 years. Were also consulted several textbooks on the subject. We conclude that there is no need of removal of the carious dentin in deep cavities, avoiding manipulation of the pulp tissue and all the consequences arising from this procedure. The techniques of partial removal of carious dentin should be encouraged because they are easy to perform and of great social significance.