Dentistry and Dental Medicine

Enamel defects can diff er in etiology (trauma, fl uorosis, genetics, infl ammation, systemic deceases or initial caries) and may

present various appearances (varying from small white spots and pits to dark brown enamel morphology defi ciencies).

Depending on degree of expression of the defect or discoloration, it is proven to have a negative eff ect on the child’s psychosocial

life, but options for treatment are limited and oft en not even considered because of the young age of the patient. Enamel defects

caused by fl uorosis are common among up to 45% of children in Lithuania and up to 19% of children have other type of enamel

defects so the treatment need is signifi cant. Micro-abrasion, a technique based on using acid etching combined with abrasive

materials on enamel. It is a minimally invasive enamel defect treatment technique that can improve the aesthetics in young

age or allow getting better results during the following treatment. Micro-abrasion can be combined with fl uoride therapy,

bleaching, composite fi llings or even veneers and crowns aft er the occlusion are formed. Th e aim of this presentation is to

review the literature and compare minimally invasive treatment versus restorative techniques for enamel defect elimination.

Also advantages and disadvantages of various treatment options according to the age of the patient will be discussed, limits of

technique will be estimated and case reports presented.