Thirty additional teeth had 1 x 5 mm artificial caries lesions formed at the interproximal contact point. The sections had varnish placed, leaving only the external section site exposed, and were situated back into the original tooth. These teeth were then mounted with the artificial lesion having an interproximal contact with the adjacent tooth restoration. All teeth were cycled through an artificial caries system for thirty minutes, three times per day. The same sections were again photographed under polarized light and areas of the lesions were digitized quantitatively.
Negative numbers represent demineralization and positive numbers represent remineralization.
The study was performed at the principal investigator's office. Children between three to eleven years old, who had at least two primary molars with a small to moderate approximal caries lesion were included in the study. All the evaluated restorations were clinically acceptable, with smooth surface appearance, satisfactory color match, neither secondary caries nor fracture. Minimal overhangs were disclosed in six amalgam restorations, and neither bubbles nor defects were seen at the tooth-restoration interface. They have also recommended deleting primary teeth to mimic the normal exfoliation pattern.