The nature of the remaining dentin surface following application of Carisolv solution

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of Carisolv solution on the topography and surface hardness of dentin. METHODS: Two separate studies were carried out. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to visualize dentin surface topography on slices of previously extracted non-carious and carious teeth following the passive application of Carisolv gel for 30- and 60-second periods. A Wallace hardness instrument was used to measure the dentin surface hardness following active caries removal with Carisolv gel and the specially designed instruments. Conventional caries removal with dental burs and non-carious dentin acted as controls for the latter study. RESULTS: AFM revealed that the passive application of Carisolv gel resulted in smoother surfaces than observed on carious and non-carious dentin. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean hardness values for non-carious and Carisolv-treated dentin (P< 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the non-carious and bur-treated dentin nor the Carisolv and bur-treated dentin.