Resin Infiltration

For a non-cavitated lesion, the surface is conditioned with hydrochloric acid, dried with air and ethanol, then filled by capillary action with fluid resin. Light hardens the resin after it has reached the dentino-enamel junction or slightly beyond.

This approach has been used to improve discolouration from enamel development defects and white spot lesions. It is also a treatment option for small interproximal carious lesions in permanent teeth and, in some circumstances, primary teeth.

The recorded procedure involves surface conditioning, drying, two resin applications and light curing. The available clinical findings report treatment stages and colour changes, rather than a pain measurement.

Resin infiltration is intended for non-cavitated lesions, and the stated technique includes strict use of a rubber dam. Research on colour masking includes studies with mixed quality and differing risks of bias.

Partial or complete masking was reported immediately after treatment. Only two studies followed the original outcome for as long as one year, and both reported that the original masking remained during that period.

A specialised matrix is placed between teeth when treating a proximal lesion. After acid treatment and drying, fluid resin is infiltrated over several minutes in two applications, then polymerised with light.

The reported visible change is masking of the affected colour immediately after infiltration. Longer follow-up was limited, so the one-year reports are the longest outcome period in these findings.

In the white-spot studies, resin infiltration was compared with no treatment, remineralisation and bleaching. Those comparisons focus on changing the appearance of affected enamel rather than on the resin technique itself.

Post-orthodontic white spot lesions were the most commonly treated lesions in the review. The reported result was an immediate partial or complete reduction in the visible contrast of the affected enamel.

The treatment has both appearance-focused uses and a role for selected early carious lesions. Its clinical purpose differs according to whether the issue is a white spot, an enamel defect, or a small proximal lesion.