Cost-effectiveness of partial versus stepwise caries removal of deep caries lesions - a decision-analytic approach

The aim was to compare the cost-effectiveness of partial caries removal (PCR) and stepwise caries removal (SW) in mature permanent teeth diagnosed with deep caries lesions, in a Swedish Public Dental Care organization. A decision tree model was used to calculate the cost-effectiveness for PCR and SW. Probability values were obtained through a literature search in PubMed and Scopus. Treatment times were estimated by a group of dentists practicing at public dental care clinics in Västra Götaland county, Sweden. The expected costs for PCR and SW were 187,63 and 414,35 €, respectively, indicating that PCR was more cost-effective. Four articles were identified through the literature search. The <i>p</i>-values for PCR outcomes were 94% (success), 0% (pulp exposure) and 6% (pulpitis/apical periodontitis etc.). For SW, the <i>p</i>-values were 76% (success), 2% (pulp exposure during the first visit), 13% (pulp exposure during the second visit) and 9% (pulpitis/apical periodontitis etc.). Given the presumptions in this decision analysis, the PCR method used on mature permanent teeth is more cost-effective (<i>p</i> &lt; ,05) compared to the SW method in protecting the pulp from exposure and avoiding the need for root canal treatment.