ABSTRACT Objective:

To evaluate the clinical and radiographic response of pulp-dentin complex after selective caries removal with or without pulp lining in primary teeth.

Material and Methods:

Twenty-four primary molars with deep occlusal caries lesions and without pulpal alterations were selected from children, both genders, aged between 5 and 9 years old. After selective caries removal, the teeth were divided into three groups: without cavity liner (Group I), calcium hydroxide cement - CH (Group II), and Mineral trioxide aggregate - MTA (Group III). The final restoration was performed with resin-modified glass ionomer cement. Clinical and radiographic assessments were conducted at 6-month follow-up. The Kappa test determined intraexaminer reliability. Fisher's exact test evaluated intergroup comparisons (p<0.05).

Results:

All teeth showed clinical and radiographic success at the 6-month follow-up without statistically significant differences (p>0.05).

Conclusion:

Selective caries removal without cavity lining was acceptable for deep caries lesions in primary teeth.