Articaine 4% with 1 : 200 000 epinephrine is as effective as lidocaine 2% with 1 : 100 000 epinephrine. The effect of numbness of soft tissues was longer lasting with articaine than with lidocaine.

The chemo-mechanical model of caries removal has been introduced as an alternative method of caries removal and is indicated to overcome the inconvenience of using burs and local anesthesia, causing less discomfort to the patient, and preserving healthy dental structure. Papacarie® is a papain gel composed basically of papain, chloramines, and toluidine blue. Papain interacts with exposed collagen by the dissolution of dentin minerals through bacteria, making the infected dentin softer, and allowing its removal with non-cutting instruments without local anesthesia and burs. This paper proposes the use of a papain-based gel for the removal of active caries with infected tissue followed by a glass ionomer restoration in an adolescent patient. Removal of caries tissue with Papacarie® proved to be efficient, easy and comfortable for the patient.

Usually new techniques for locally anaesthetizing dental patients are tested on adults. However, despite recent research in the field, the injection remains the method of choice. It is necessary to continue to conduct studies using new techniques on adults and children, so that a more acceptable technique can be found.

Higher rates of stress during operative procedures were reported among dental students than among experienced dentists. Anxiety of the pediatric patients, but not the location of the procedure: maxillary or mandibular, affected the dentists' reported level of stress.

The high success rate of resin-bonded composite strip crowns with a 2-year follow-up seen in this study suggests that this treatment modality is an aesthetic and satisfactory means of restoring carious primary incisors in young children. The retention rate is lower in teeth with decay in three or more surfaces, particularly in children with a high caries risk.