**1. Introduction**

Classic/conventional decay treatment addresses the carious lesion and not the disease as an ensemble, engaging dentists in repetitive, stereotypical practice, often alien of patient psycho‐ somatic structure. Major patient reluctance in soliciting caries treatment consisted in fear of pain, dental anesthesia, and noise generated by rotary instruments, especially high-speed handpiece [1, 2], leading to the avoidance of conventional dental treatment by almost 50% of them [1].

The remarkable progress registered in caries diagnosis tools, technologies, and restorative materials used has led to ultraconservative, minimally invasive approach in decay treatment,

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with preservation of dental hard tissues (enamel, dentine) and even of affected dentine, which is capable of remineralization. Such advances have exclusively been conceivable due to consistent interdisciplinary cooperation between the field of dental medicine—that means to offer its patients the best treatment possible and the least invasive all along, and the field of applied modern technologies—which generates all the materials and equipment required for this purpose. The results of this interdisciplinary research have led to new approaches at carious disease as a whole and, concurrently, to ultraconservative attitudes. In this context, preparation of hard dental tissues benefit nowadays from alternative, "nondrill" methods, which offer special benefits, both for patients and dental practitioners, such as the following:


The concept of minimally invasive caries treatment was introduced to dental medicine in the beginning of the 1980s through preventive resin restorations, followed in the 1990s by atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) and chemomechanical treatment (CarisolvTM). At present, new methods are available, such as air abrasion, sonoabrasion, ozone, and laser therapy [3]. Although air abrasion was first developed in the 1940s by Dr. Robert Black and improved by Dr. J. Tim Rainey, it resurfaced and grew in use barely in the 1990s, together with minimally invasive and adhesive dentistry [4, 5].

Air abrasion, as an alternative technique of cutting hard dental tissues, is an ultraconservative method in the following situations:

**a.** Incipient caries of pits and fissures, which are difficult to diagnose and which, despite preventive measures, still count for 90% of newly appeared caries in children and adolescents [6]. In this uncertain diagnosis [7], the practitioner may opt either to treat the lesion or only to monitor it, with questionable benefits in time [8]. In this specific lesional stage, air abrasion is the method of election, as bur preparation of pits and grooves would remove a greater quantity of healthy dental tissues as compared to air abrasion, which is more conservative [9].

If, after air abrasion removal of organic debris in pits and fissures, no decay is found, dental sealants are applied, benefiting from improved adhesion. If caries is found, the preparation is continued until complete removal of decay, with minimal loss of hard healthy tissues, being followed by preventive resin restoration.


Other benefits of air abrasion caries treatment are as follows:

**•** It does not require dental anesthesia.

with preservation of dental hard tissues (enamel, dentine) and even of affected dentine, which is capable of remineralization. Such advances have exclusively been conceivable due to consistent interdisciplinary cooperation between the field of dental medicine—that means to offer its patients the best treatment possible and the least invasive all along, and the field of applied modern technologies—which generates all the materials and equipment required for this purpose. The results of this interdisciplinary research have led to new approaches at carious disease as a whole and, concurrently, to ultraconservative attitudes. In this context, preparation of hard dental tissues benefit nowadays from alternative, "nondrill" methods, which offer special benefits, both for patients and dental practitioners, such as the following:

Proceedings of the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies (ICIS 2016) - Interdisciplinarity and Creativity

The concept of minimally invasive caries treatment was introduced to dental medicine in the beginning of the 1980s through preventive resin restorations, followed in the 1990s by atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) and chemomechanical treatment (CarisolvTM). At present, new methods are available, such as air abrasion, sonoabrasion, ozone, and laser therapy [3]. Although air abrasion was first developed in the 1940s by Dr. Robert Black and improved by Dr. J. Tim Rainey, it resurfaced and grew in use barely in the 1990s, together with

Air abrasion, as an alternative technique of cutting hard dental tissues, is an ultraconservative

**a.** Incipient caries of pits and fissures, which are difficult to diagnose and which, despite preventive measures, still count for 90% of newly appeared caries in children and adolescents [6]. In this uncertain diagnosis [7], the practitioner may opt either to treat the lesion or only to monitor it, with questionable benefits in time [8]. In this specific lesional stage, air abrasion is the method of election, as bur preparation of pits and grooves would remove a greater quantity of healthy dental tissues as compared to air abrasion, which is

If, after air abrasion removal of organic debris in pits and fissures, no decay is found, dental sealants are applied, benefiting from improved adhesion. If caries is found, the preparation is continued until complete removal of decay, with minimal loss of hard healthy tissues, being

**b.** In case of dental abrasion, erosion, and abfraction, air abrasion removes, without cutting dental structures, the shiny surface layer which is inappropriate for good adhesion. Thus, rough surface results [10, 11], adequate for the adhesion of restorative materials [12, 13].

**c.** In case of marginal repair or restoration resurfacing, air abrasion removes a small quantity of dental tissue or restoration material, respectively, increasing restoration's life span and

**•** Reduction of fear and increase of confidence in caries treatment

**•** Improvement in practitioners' performance and satisfaction

**•** Positive impact on patients' quality of life **•** Addressability of all patient categories

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minimally invasive and adhesive dentistry [4, 5].

method in the following situations:

more conservative [9].

esthetics.

followed by preventive resin restoration.


Air abrasion precautions of use during caries treatment include the following:


The air abrasion device resembles a small sandblaster and acts through a flow of extremely fine abrasive particles—sodium bicarbonate, aluminum/silicon oxide, bioactive glass (accord‐ ing to the clinical situation)—which is projected with force from the handpiece on tooth surface, by use of air or gas propulsion.
