{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,17]],"date-time":"2026-01-17T04:31:51Z","timestamp":1768624311141,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768521600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To address the discomfort associated with conventional drilling for caries removal in children, a minimally invasive approach such as chemo-mechanical caries removal was developed. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of, and patient behavior associated with chemo-mechanical caries removal versus conventional drilling in children aged 6\u201312 years.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A split-mouth randomized clinical trial was conducted involving 66 molar teeth. The effectiveness of Papacarie Duo Gel and conventional drilling methods was assessed using colony-forming unit (CFU) counts before and after each treatment. Cavity preparation time and intraoperative patient behavior using the Frankl Behavior Rating Scale were also evaluated.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Both methods resulted in a significant reduction in bacterial counts post-treatment. However, conventional drilling showed a greater percentage reduction in bacterial load (82.9\u2009\u00b1\u200913.9; t\u2009=\u2009\u22124.42,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001) compared to the chemo-mechanical method (68.6\u2009\u00b1\u200916.6). The mean caries removal time was 692.4\u2009\u00b1\u2009245.9\u2009sec with the chemo-mechanical method, compared to 266.9\u2009\u00b1\u2009101.6\u2009sec with conventional drilling. In terms of behavior, 57.6% of the children exhibited a positive response during chemo-mechanical treatment whereas negative behavior was more commonly observed with conventional drilling.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>While conventional drilling remains the better-established and time-efficient method of caries removal, the chemo-mechanical technique serves as a valuable alternative for managing children, reducing anxiety and promoting greater comfort and cooperation during treatment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n                    <jats:title>Trial registration<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>PanAfrican Clinical Trial Registry PACTR202310877678533<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0339771","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T18:34:14Z","timestamp":1768588454000},"page":"e0339771","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Comparison of chemo-mechanical and conventional caries removal methods in 6-to-12-year-old children: Randomized clinical trial"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6160-9069","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Abdulrahman Bala","family":"Malami","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6074-2474","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yewande Isabella","family":"Adeyemo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Aliyu","family":"Aminu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Folakemi Adenike","family":"Oredugba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]]},"reference":[{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0339771.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"609","DOI":"10.1111\/odi.12428","article-title":"Global burden of oral diseases: emerging concepts, management and interplay with systemic health","volume":"22","author":"LJ Jin","year":"2016","journal-title":"Oral Dis"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0339771.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.17796\/jcpd.38.1.p3324121m66n1737","article-title":"Evaluation of three different caries removal techniques in children: a 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