Minimally Invasive Dentistry: Evidence, Emerging Strategies, and Clinical Relevance

Minimally invasive dentistry continues to evolve through advances in caries detection, risk assessment, restorative materials, and strategies designed to preserve tooth structure and support tissue health. At the same time, questions remain about the clinical meaning of terms such as bioactive, remineralizing, and smart, particularly when claims are based primarily on laboratory findings rather than demonstrated patient outcomes.Much of the current literature reports material performance under controlled, in vitro conditions. Far fewer studies follow these materials and strategies into diagnostic pathways, risk-based treatment planning, or long-term clinical practice. This gap between what a material or technology can do on the bench and what it actually changes for a patient is where this Research Topic is positioned.This Research Topic will bring together original research, clinical studies, systematic reviews, and critical perspectives that examine the scientific foundation and clinical relevance of emerging minimally invasive approaches, from detection and risk assessment through to intervention and long-term management. Rather than centering on the development of new materials in isolation, we prioritize work that tests, questions, or clarifies what these materials and strategies deliver in practice, and where the evidence remains insufficient to support current claims.Topics may include, but are not limited to:• Caries detection technologies and their diagnostic accuracy in clinical settings• Caries risk assessment tools and their use in guiding minimally invasive treatment decisions• Selective caries removal: technique comparisons, outcomes, and long-term tooth survival• Vital pulp therapies: indications, protocols, and clinical success rates• Critical appraisal of bioactive, ion-releasing, and remineralizing restorative materials, distinguishing laboratory findings from demonstrated clinical benefit• Caries-arrest and remineralization strategies evaluated under clinically relevant conditions• Adhesive approaches and interface durability in restorative practice• Standardisation of testing protocols and methodologies for evaluating performance, reproducibility, and long-term clinical behaviour of emerging materials• Patient-centred management strategies for individuals at high caries riskParticular attention will be given to studies that connect material properties and biological mechanisms with meaningful, measurable clinical outcomes, and to work that identifies where current evidence does not yet justify the claims made for a given material or technology. Topic editors: Mary Anne Sampaio Melo, Paul Anderson Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86429/minimally-invasive-dentistry-evidence-emerging-strategies-and-clinical-relevance