Research Article Open Access
Meligy et al., J Oral Hyg Health 2018, 6:1
DOI: 10.4172/2332-0702.1000235
Review Article Open Access
Journal of
Oral Hygiene & Health
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ISSN: 2332-0702
Volume 6 • Issue 1 • 1000235
J Oral Hyg Health, an open access journal
ISSN: 2332-0702
Keywords: Resin infiltration; Dental caries; Carious lesions; Caries
infiltration; Icon DMG
Introduction
Dental caries is a major public health concern commonly affecting
children in their early childhood. It has a negative impact on children’s’
oral as well as general health [1]. e caries prevalence rate in the
Jeddah city has ranged from 70 to 76% in 6-year-old children [2].
Special attention has been devoted to early proximal carious
lesions, with maximum preservation of tooth structure [3]. is is
mainly because restorative therapy for interproximal lesions requires
removal of a substantial amount of sound tissue and this brings tooth
into a circle of treatment and retreatment [4]. erefore, early detection
and treatment of such lesions will limit the need for invasive treatment
in the future.
Restoring the tooth structure by dental filling and restoration
was the first choice for treating dental caries [5], but in the last years,
the treatment has been changed from the large invasive technique to
noninvasive or minimal invasive preventive techniques [6].
Several noninvasive techniques have been developed to treat early
caries lesions [7]. Smooth surfaces caries, have benefited from the
preventive effects of fluoride agents, such as fluoride toothpaste and
fluoridated water. Fluoride application improves the re-mineralization
process of the demineralized tooth structure [8]. It was reported that the
application of Duraphat fluoride varnish twice per year with 6 months’
interval, significantly reduces the incidence of proximal caries [9].
Sealants were first introduced to protect the pit and fissure surfaces
in the 1960s by Cueto and Buonocore [10], as a part of preventive
programs to protect pits and fissures on the occlusal tooth surfaces
from dental caries. Such sealants prevented dental decay by preventing
the growth of bacteria that cause dental caries [11].
e prevalence of decay was decreased in the industrialized
*Corresponding author: Omar Abd El Sadek El Meligy, Professor of Pediatric
Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, Tel: +966122871660; Fax: +966126403316; E-mail: omeligy@kau.
edu.sa.
Received: December 12, 2017; Accepted: December 18, 2017; Published:
January 10, 2018
Citation: Meligy OAESE, Ibrahim STE, Alamoudi NM (2018) Resin Infiltration of
Non-Cavitated Proximal Caries Lesions: A Literature Review. J Oral Hyg Health 6:
235. doi: 10.4172/2332-0702.1000235
Copyright: © 2018 Meligy OAESE, et al. This is an open-access article distributed
under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background: Noninvasive measures involving fluoridation, dietary control, and oral hygiene instruction, as well
as invasive restorative methods, are the standard treatment options for interproximal caries. Intermediate treatment
options, similar to pit-and-fissure sealing on occlusal surfaces that has been shown to be effective in preventing
and inhibiting caries, have not yet been established on interproximal surfaces. Recently, the application of resins
on interproximal caries lesions has been studied and improved, leading to the development of new materials, which
infiltrate and seal the carious lesion, improving the inhibition of caries progression.
Aim: The aim of this literature review was to revise the in vivo and in vitro scientific evidence of the ability of resin
infiltration (RI) to arrest non-cavitated proximal caries lesions.
Materials and methods: Electronic search of English scientific papers from 2007 to 2017 was accomplished
using Pub Med search engine. The keywords used were ‘resin infiltration, dental caries’, ‘resin infiltration, carious
lesions’, ‘resin infiltration, caries lesions’, ‘caries infiltration’ and ‘Icon DMG’ with the ‘clinical trial’ filter activated.
Results: One hundred and forty articles were reviewed as well as some references of selected articles. Fifty
studies described the ability of resin infiltration to arrest non-cavitated caries lesions. Conclusion: Data show this new
technique complements existing treatment options for interproximal caries by delaying the time point for a restoration
and consequently closing the gap between noninvasive and invasive treatment options.
Resin Infiltration of Non-Cavitated Proximal Caries Lesions: A Literature
Review
Omar Abd El Sadek El Meligy
1,2
*, Shimaa Tag Eldin Ibrahim
1
and Najlaa Mohammed Alamoudi
1
1
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2
Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
countries between 1970 and 1980 due to the use fluoride and fissure
sealant [12]. In addition, sealant prevents caries on both occlusal and
proximal teeth surfaces [13], but due to the low penetration ability of
the resin material, the resin infiltration (RI) material with less viscosity
was needed [14] to penetrate to the lesion base, arrest the lesion,
providing mechanical support and also improving the aesthetics of the
enamel [15].
Infiltration Concept (ICON®) is a relatively new resin product
developed in Germany and used in the treatment of incipient lesions
[16]. It improves the retention and prevents caries on smooth surfaces,
but not pit and fissure surfaces [17].
Resin infiltration is a micro-invasive method that fills the incipient
lesion pores via capillary action [18], which blocks further diffusion
of the bacteria by creating barriers and stops lesion development,
restoring the tooth without anaesthesia and drilling to preserve the
natural anatomy of the tooth form [19].
e ICON® infiltrates the lesion, make the bacteria inactive and
prevents caries progression [19] compared to the sealant which only
work as mechanical barrier between the tooth structure and the oral
environment [11].