Dental caries is a prevalent oral disease caused by an ecologic shift within the dental biofilm. In 2016, the International Caries Consensus Collaboration (ICCC) has radiographically defined deep caries as a condition where the teeth are damaged to 1/3 or 1/4 of the dentin near the dental pulp. Deep caries can cause severe inflammatory pulpal responses, and may lead to pulp necrosis, lowering the quality of life. Traditional treatment via the complete removal of deep carious lesions, has been considered as an overtreatment, causing pulp exposure and pulp complications. Alternatively, selective caries removal techniques of deep carious lesions are proposed. However, proper selection of the appropriate caries removal technique, based on evidence-based literature and clinical expertise and according to specific clinical parameters for every patient is the key success to save the pulp vitality.
